Just Friends?
by AliciaReneeWriter
Summary: 1998 - that's when a friendship between two strangers began. Over the course of twenty years, they only grew closer. They forever had a connection that nobody around them - not even his wife - understood. When a dangerous situation occurs and leaves him injured, they think about what they mean to each other. Are they just friends? Or destined for something greater? RATED M.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi friends!**

 **So, I got such wonderful feedback with 'Back To You'; like y'all were awesome through that whole fic and I can't thank you enough. So, here I am again with something new, something a little different. Let me give y'all a little background.**

 **This fic is set in the current year - 2018. Elliot is a Detective with the Manhattan Special Victims Unit of course, but Olivia is not. She's a nurse at Mercy General Hospital, and works with Casey Novak (who is a nurse as well) and Kathy Stabler. Ages are different as well; Elliot is 37 (turning 38 later in the year) and Olivia is 36. The Stabler kids ages are different as well than they would be in reality, as you'll see as the fic goes on.**

 **I think that's all I had to clear up. If there's any other confusion, let me know in the reviews and I'll explain it asap!**

 **Thank you guys, and please, enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part One**

 _Bzz! Bzz! Bzz!_

"Okay, I'm coming!"

An exasperated sigh escaped the lips of the brown eyed young woman, her shoulder length brunette locks bouncing slightly as she made her way out of the bedroom and across the short length from the bedroom area to the door of her apartment. She was dressed in dark blue scrub bottoms and a matching scrub top as well as a pair of black shoes, symbolizing that she was soon about to embark on another shift at Mercy General Hospital where she was a nurse.

She checked the peephole, her plump, pink lips curling into a smile when she realized who it was. The tall, muscular form, dressed in a black suit jacket and slacks with a blue shirt and red tie, and the long coat.

It was only her best friend, Elliot Stabler.

And truthfully, the only man that Olivia Benson would ever admit gave her butterflies.

She undid the locks on the door and tugged the door open; his lips curled into a smile as he walked into her apartment. She shut the door back and put a lock on, before giving a raised eyebrow whilst he leaned against the island counter.

"Don't you have to be at work in like," Olivia glanced at the clock on the stove; _7:30am;_ "Half an hour?" Her brown eyes poured into his blue ones. He offered that shit eating grin as he spoke.

"My captain told me to take some personal time this morning since the last case bothered me a bit, so I thought I'd come by and take you to breakfast then give you a lift to work." He gave a shrug after his response, and she let out a laugh.

"Ah right; it's my turn to buy isn't it?"

"Well not today, it's a special occasion." He winked and a confused look came across her face. She opened her mouth to ask but he stopped her.

"I'll tell you when we get to the diner, but just get your stuff and come on." He told her, holding out her leather jacket for her to slip her arms into. His hands brushed against her shoulders as he helped her put it on, and she wanted to melt into a puddle.

She offered one last curious look over her shoulder, before grabbing her bag which contained her essentials like her money and phone, and her lunch for later as well. She grabbed her keys and made sure her electrics were turned off, before making her way out the door. After locking the door, she and Elliot descended the staircase together, their steps falling in tune with each other as they always did. Their shoulders bumped together. They even walked the same.

People always told them they were in sync, and they were. That's why they were best friends.

Once outside, Elliot sweetly opened the door to his Jeep. She slipped into the passenger seat and thanked him. Elliot was always such a gentleman, even though he spent a lot of the time annoying her.

He slipped into the driver's seat and turned the engine on. Olivia once again began to ask about the special occasion, but he refused to tell her. As they drove along the streets towards their favorite, greasy eatery, she looked out the window and watched the city pass by. Even though she'd never say this out loud, having a breakfast date with her best friend was one thing she loved and always looked forward to. In fact, it was one of her favorite things in the world.

* * *

"Okay, we're here and our food is now in front of us, so what is the special occasion?"

Elliot was giving her the shit eating grin again and it was amusing yet annoying at the same time. He'd told her to wait until their food had arrived, and now the table was covered with two plates; both containing three large pancakes, some scrambled eggs with cheese – and in her case, paprika too – as well as juicy sausage links. A large pitcher of orange juice sat between them so they could refill their glasses whenever they wanted rather than having to flag down a waitress, whom was rushing throughout the diner as it was busy with the breakfast rush.

"You really don't know what today is?" he raised an eyebrow.

Olivia thought for a second. It was Tuesday right? No. No; working so many shifts was causing her days to run together. It was Wednesday, March 27th. What the hell was so special about – _oh!_

"Oh," her eyes lit up with realization and she flashed that bright, dazzling smile; "Happy twenty years of being best friends."

It was on this day twenty years ago – in 1998 – that Elliot and Olivia had randomly met in this very diner. Olivia was sixteen years old then, and had just moved to New York from California to live with a relative, for reasons which she had never discussed with Elliot, no matter how close they were. Olivia was a waitress in this diner to support herself whilst she finished high school and to save money to go to nursing school. An eighteen-year-old Elliot Stabler had come in just after midnight, almost in a daze as he had recently had a fight with his wife of one year at the time (that very same wife that he was still married to), and needed something to eat to clear his head – well, which she later found out. The look on his face had concerned Olivia, so whilst she was serving him, she simply asked _; "Long day too, huh?"_ which led to him launching into this whole long monologue of how long and awful his day had been. From there, the gates had opened and there was no going back for the two strangers.

Their friendship blossomed, and they became extremely close over the years. He was only two years older than she was, Olivia found him to be extremely interesting and compassionate and protective. She found herself trusting him completely and feeling so safe and comfortable with him. She told him so many things she had never told anyone, like about being a product of rape and suffering abuse at the hands of her mother. She didn't tell him exactly why she had left California, but she expressed that the abuse was not the only reason. Elliot never pushed it, not even to this day. Still, he knew a lot about her; _"You know everything about me, even the parts I'd rather forget."_ She found herself telling him once. But that was okay; she trusted him enough and they were just _that_ close.

The feeling was mutual for Elliot. For many years, he felt that he hadn't had anyone to really talk to about his own experiences in life, such as having to live with a bipolar mother and an abusive father. And later, his job; God knows his job was difficult. He had a wife and children of course, but he would never tell them about his job and the things he saw; that was too much for him to handle let alone them. Olivia, however, was someone he felt comfortable and safe with. He told her all about his own childhood as well, told her about his job and some of the things he saw. She didn't judge him or seem to creeped out; in fact, she told him his job sounded sad yet strangely interesting. She understood him when it came to his childhood as well as hers had been very difficult as well; something his wife Kathy, could not relate to. He just felt safe and like he could be himself with Olivia. She had the most dazzling smile, and a beautiful heart and warm personality. She was a wonderful person all around, and sometimes, it felt as though she was all he had. _"You and my job are all I have left anymore."_ He had once told her when he and Kathy had gone through some problems some years back, and it was true, because Olivia didn't judge him. She stuck around.

Now here they were, twenty years later. She'd recently turned thirty-six, he was turning thirty-eight later in the year. Even though they were only growing closer to their forties with each passing year and didn't quite hang like they used to, they were still as thick as thieves and enjoyed each other's company. They had been there for each other's milestones; their thirtieth birthdays, the birth of Elliot's fifth child, Olivia finishing nursing school, his job promotions to senior detective within the Manhattan Special Victims Unit, her securing a job as a registered nurse at Mercy General Hospital. They had always been each other's support system.

"So that's what this breakfast is about?" she went on to question him, her eyebrow shooting up. He nodded his head as he munched his way through the fluffy, delicious pancakes.

"Celebrating twenty years of being a pain in your ass," he winked before continuing, "Back on schedule next time though, which means you're buying."

"Of course, I am." She muttered, rolling her eyes before smiling back at her best friend.

They engaged in light conversation as they ate. They talked about various things such as their jobs – he told her about the latest case and she told him about an adorable baby that had been born the other night during her shift. The conversation eventually shifted to other things such as sports, how his children were doing in school, how Kathy was doing. There were jokes and stupid, childish remarks that nobody else would find funny, but that Elliot and Olivia found hilarious as they had a similar sense of humor. The two loved being able to spend this time together and not worry about their chaotic lives for a bit; to just relax and hang out together like normal best friends would do.

After their tasty breakfast, Elliot sweetly gave Olivia a lift to work in his Jeep. They rode in silence as he expertly drove through the city streets, the only sound being that of some random songs that would play on the radio in between breaks from a morning radio show. There was something comfortable about this; there was never any awkwardness or tension when it came to their silence. It was just relaxed – a relaxing, comfortable silence. Elliot and Olivia were so close and connected that there never needed to be some chatter to fill the silence.

They were just _that_ comfortable.

Roughly ten minutes later, the Jeep came to a stop outside the side entrance for emergency room staff of the large, widely popular Mercy General Hospital, one of the best in the City of New York. She unclicked her seatbelt and gathered up her bag, before turning her head to her best friend. She gave him a sweet smile before reaching over and squeezing his bicep.

"Thanks for the ride and the breakfast," she opened the door to slide out of the car, "Don't work too hard and be safe."

"You be safe too, please – seeing trauma vics and all that." He smirked, referring to her job as a nurse in the hospital's large, chaotic emergency room. She gave a hearty laugh, shaking her head in despair as she closed the car door. She gave one more wave before making her way inside; Elliot did the normal routine of watching to make sure she got inside safely. Once the glass door closed behind her, Elliot put his car into drive before pulling off from the spot, a soft smile on his face as it always was after spending some time with his best friend.

* * *

The morning passed by rather quickly for Olivia, though time only passed because there had been an influx of patients coming into the emergency room throughout the morning. Olivia kept busy with taking vital signs and prepping patients before the doctors would come through, and once things would relax a bit, she was able to take time to enter information into the computer system so things would be organized (the doctors did say she was one of the most organized nurses there was in the chaotic room). She did have to assist a few physicians during exams and had to administer medication to a few patients as well, which also helped to pass the time.

Olivia truly loved her job. The pay wasn't the best in the world, but for her, it was never about the pay when she decided to go into nursing. It was all about helping others and being able to make them feel comfortable in any way she could. Seeing others suffer had always been a problem for her, but it had been the suffering of her own mother that had put her on this path towards nursing. She never talked about the things she saw, but she vowed to do anything in her power to help others so they would never have to suffer the way her mother had done.

"Liv, here comes the bitch."

Olivia glanced up, briefly meeting the gaze of her blonde haired, blue eyed best friend and fellow nurse, Casey Novak. The two had started working at this hospital at the same time some years earlier and had hit it off straight away. Truthfully, they were night and day – Olivia was relaxed and gentle, Casey was blunt and outrageous sometimes. However, that was what brought them together; their opposite personalities that allowed them to balance each other out. _"Case, you're literally the female version of my friend Elliot."_ Olivia had told Casey one day, and Casey had shrugged and giggled whilst debating whether to take it as a compliment.

Olivia followed Casey's gaze, only to turn away quickly as she saw the other blonde haired, blue eyed nurse wandering into the emergency room to start her shift. It was the woman whom had, had a problem with her for years now, for reasons that Olivia could never understand why.

Kathy Stabler – or in other words, Elliot's wife.

Olivia was great at reading people, so whenever Kathy was being polite to her, she knew that it was forced and that she was trying to be nice for the sake of their jobs. The few, _very_ few, times that Kathy had been rude to her, Olivia gave it right back, which would surprise the woman and lead to her backing off. Olivia often wondered if Kathy had a problem because she and Elliot were such good friends, but then she would think; _'Kathy certainly can't think anything has happened between me and Elliot?'_ She wondered about the woman sometimes, but she always tried to be respectful to her and was especially respectful to her marriage to her best friend.

' _I don't have to respect her, she's a bitch.'_ Was Casey's response, however; Casey and Kathy had gotten into a war of words more times than Olivia could even count.

"Casey." Olivia warned. Casey shrugged before plastering a fake smile onto her face as Kathy came up to the nurses' station. Kathy put on a smile as well, glancing between Casey and Olivia.

"Morning ladies." She greeted. Casey and Olivia responded with a simultaneous _'Morning'_ before looking at each other again as Kathy walked off to where the lockers were. The two women rolled their eyes at each other, only for Olivia to then giggle quietly when Casey muttered _'bitch'_ under her breath.

About twenty minutes later, Casey and Olivia were updating some patient information in the file system on the computer, when another one of the other nurses came rushing into the nurses' station. Considering it wasn't busy, she gestured for everyone to gather around whilst she increased the volume on the television. Everyone's attention was captured by the reporter speaking on the television, and Olivia felt a strange, sickly feeling that something was very wrong.

" _We have just arrived on scene to Manhattan's 16_ _th_ _Precinct; the headquarters of the Special Victims Unit of the NYPD…"_

"Elliot works there." Olivia gasped quietly, looking quickly to Casey who wrapped an arm around her friend, supportively squeezing her shoulder.

" _We have had reports of shots fired inside the building and…"_

And suddenly, more gunshots rang out as the reporter and several others began ducking for cover. Olivia felt someone brush against her arm and she looked up, only to see Kathy now standing right beside her. The nurses and doctors watched in horror as glass shattered as windows of the building exploded from the bullets; this all being captured on the cameras while the reporters and others around remained on the ground to avoid the spray of bullets.

The next few moments felt like the longest hours; the shots stopped and a swarm of SWAT personnel swarmed into the building. The reporter appeared back on the screen, looking extremely nervous and scared. She began talking quickly about reporting an update as soon as she could, before she was then stopped by the sight of medical personnel rushing into the building as well. Olivia watched in horror; Kathy stood beside her with tears in her eyes.

Stretchers began being rushed out with injured individuals, heading towards waiting ambulances to bring them to the hospital. But Kathy nor Olivia were prepared for what they would see next.

They both recognized that Marine tattoo anywhere.

 _Elliot._

Elliot had been shot.

* * *

 **NOTE: Allow me to briefly explain the date of March 27th - that was when I originally started writing this fic! About three days after my birthday. Idk - so I just put that date in as I was writing and allowed it to be Elliot and Olivia's friendship anniversary.**

 **ANYWAY, here we have the first part of my new fic. Let me know what you think and stuff. Until next time... xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone!**

 **I've gotten some great feedback on the first part; I'm really glad you're all liking it so far. I now present part two, and I hope that you all will like this as well.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part Two**

The next fifteen minutes passed in a blur.

Kathy had burst into tears and was now being forced to sit down as she had gone very pale and couldn't stop crying. Olivia wanted to cry but she couldn't. As she glanced back at Kathy and saw how broken she was at her husband being shot, she knew she had to be strong for this woman. They may not see eye to eye much, but she was the wife of her very best friend and she would be no use to anyone if she broke down too.

Chaos soon consumed the emergency room of Mercy General Hospital.

Several injured persons – both officers and civilians whom had been in the precinct – were being rushed through the emergency room doors of the hospital. Some were taken straight through to the operating room as it was crucial, others were taken to trauma beds were nurses and physicians began attending to them. Olivia was desperate to find Elliot and help him, but she was being pulled to help other victims whom she knew were just as important as Elliot was.

But she just wanted to help him.

She made the mistake of looking when she heard another doctor shouting to staff about a patient that was going into shock and had an injury where a bullet had hit an artery _._ When she glanced towards the walkway, she dropped the gauze that was in her hand. Her hands began shaking, she felt sick, and her face drained of all color.

It was Elliot.

"Olivia!"

Casey's voice sounded muffled. Olivia felt like she was having some out of body experience. Her legs were moving, carrying her behind the doctors that were wheeling Elliot to the operating room. She heard the doctor tending to Elliot, shouting that they needed to call the blood bank for _A positive_ blood, but as she opened her mouth to shout and say to take her blood, she felt an arm wrap around her to guide her back.

She looked up; it was the physician she was assisting.

"Olivia, are you with me?"

Her eyes looked up at him; she came back to reality before swallowing hard, blinking to stop the tears from falling.

"Go sit down, we got it from here and-"

"No," Olivia cut him off, brushing his hands away, "I'm fine; I'm sorry I just…I'm fine."

The physician hesitated for a second before nodding his head. The two went back over to tend to their patient, whom was sitting up and asking when he would be able to go home. They were able to continue working to fix him up, during which his wife came rushing in along with a slew of other concerned loved ones of the shooting victims whom were rushing around, asking where their loved ones were.

Throughout the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon, the nurses and doctors of Mercy General continued helping the victims; some whom had superficial wounds that would allow them to be released straight away, some having wounds that would call for them to stay in the hospital for a while. Olivia's mind had initially been taken off Elliot due to the chaos that had ended up surrounding them with so many victims coming in, but afterwards, once things began to calm down and the custodial staff began coming around to clean up, the shock of the events began to wear off.

 _Elliot was here in this hospital._

 _Elliot had been shot and had been rushed into emergency surgery._

And now, she was finally allowed to break…

She bolted to the nearest bathroom and burst into tears the second the door closed behind her. Her hands gripped the sides of the sink in front of her, her head hung as she cried as all the emotions hit her at once. She was worried about Elliot. She hadn't heard anything yet, but things looked and sounded bad when they'd brought him in earlier. This was one thing she always dreaded, being the best friend of a police officer. She knew Elliot had taken an oath to protect and serve, and essentially put his life on the line every single day, but this was still far too much to handle and she was just praying that he would be alright.

She looked up, seeing her red rimmed eyes in the mirror and the thick tears on her cheeks. An overwhelming sense of guilt suddenly took over, and she quickly stood up, wiping her eyes and sniffling as she looked at her reflection. Here she was, in the bathroom, crying over her best friend – her very _married_ best friend. Why was she crying so hard over her _best friend_? Shouldn't she be strong for him and his wife? His _wife_ should be the one crying this hard, not his _best friend._

She composed herself and took a few deep breaths, shaking off any other emotions that were threatening to spill. Once she felt like she wouldn't burst into tears anymore, she made her way back into the emergency room and to the nurses' station, where a few nurses were hovering around. Casey spotted her and immediately rushed over, placing her hand on her shoulder.

"You okay?" Casey's blue eyes scanned over her; Olivia gave a nod as she tied her hair up into a ponytail.

"I'm fine, Case," she gave a small smile before looking around; "Where's Kathy?"

"Wherever Elliot is, I assume," Casey placed a hand on her back as they made their way back over to where the others were standing; "Do you want me to see if I can find anything out?"

"Please." Olivia breathed out. Casey nodded before sitting down to check the file system on the computer, while Olivia sat down at her side of the desk. She closed her eyes and massaged her temples for a bit, trying to heed off the oncoming headache and stop her thoughts from swirling around so fast in her head. She felt emotionally drained already and truthfully, she wanted to go home and curl up with a bottle of wine. She glanced at the clock; it was only three-thirty, meaning she still had another three and a half hours to go until her shift was technically over, not that she would actually get off work on time as that never seemed to happen.

"Liv."

She looked to her left, seeing Casey giving her a small smile as she slid her chair closer to her. She turned a bit in her own chair, trying to read Casey's face for any signs of the news she was about to deliver.

"Elliot's made it out of surgery," Olivia breathed a sigh of relief, only to tense up when Casey continued; "He did lose a lot of blood though, and when he fell after being shot, he hit the ground pretty hard which knocked him out and gave him a concussion – that's all I've found out."

Olivia wanted to throw up right then and there.

"Go see him."

"No, Kathy and their children are probably there."

"Liv-"

"I'll go see him later, Casey." She didn't want to admit to Casey that she couldn't face seeing Elliot right now; it was too much to handle.

Casey refrained from pushing the issue. She simply nodded her head before turning her attention back to the paperwork she was meant to be working on to update into the electronic file system. Olivia followed suit, trying her hardest to focus on the paperwork and focus on updating records in the electronic file system.

But her mind kept wandering back to Elliot, and she just prayed to God that he would be alright. She couldn't lose her best friend. He was all she had.

* * *

The next few hours passed in a blur. After the initial chaos finally died out completely, the emergency room was pretty relaxed for the remainder of the day and the evening, apart from a few injuries sustained from a fight and another couple people whom were in a slight car accident. Olivia's relief came in at seven on the dot, and Olivia took time to give her the run down of what she was leaving her with and so on. Once she was finished, she walked to the elevator with Casey. Casey was on shift until eleven at night, but she was taking her break now to go with Olivia up to intensive care to see Elliot.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked. Olivia nodded her head, shooting a smile to her best friend.

"I'm fine," she squeezed her arm, "Thanks for going with me."

"Anything for you Benson, you know that." Casey nudged into her; Olivia smiled softly as they stepped into the elevator.

A few moments later, as the doors pinged open on the third floor near the doors to the intensive care unit, Olivia felt like her throat was closing up slightly. Her heart began hammering in her chest and her face went a bit pale, something that Casey noticed straight away. She stopped and put her hands on Olivia's shoulders, forcing her to look at her.

"He's okay, Liv; he is okay." She told her.

Olivia swallowed and nodded her head, before holding onto Casey's hand as they made their way into the unit. They flashed their badges to the nurse at the desk, and Casey took the initiative to explain whom they were there to see. The nurse then explained that Elliot had improved over the last few hours and had been moved into a room out of the unit, something that both girls were grateful to hear, especially Olivia. They both thanked her before making their way back out of the unit and down the hall to the room where Elliot had been moved to, which the nurse had just provided them with. As they stood outside the door, they exchanged a glance.

"Here we go." Casey muttered. She lightly knocked on the door, only to faintly hear a female voice say ' _Come in'._ She and Olivia made their way into the rather spacious, bright white hospital room.

The white walls were bare apart from a board on the wall which had the name of the nurse on duty scrawled on it, and the white tile floors were shiny and spotless. The only light in the room came from the lamp on the bedside table, the rolling table held a tray of food that hadn't been touched yet. Against the wall in the middle of the room, Elliot Stabler lay in the hospital bed in a hospital gown, with bright white sheets and blankets over his legs. He was elevated slightly though he was asleep again, and his shoulder was wrapped with bandages and gauze and in a sling to prevent too much movement. Kathy was by his side, holding onto his hand, and a couple other blonde-haired girls were sat on the other side of the bed – Olivia recognized them as Elliot's older daughters, twenty-one-year-old Maureen and sixteen year old Kathleen.

"Olivia!"

Olivia smiled slightly as Kathleen rushed over and engulfed her in a huge hug. She squeezed her back and pressed a light kiss to her cheek, before doing the same to Maureen as she too had come up to give her a hug. She gave Kathy a smile and introduced the girls to Casey, before looking at Elliot once again.

"Is he doing okay?" she quietly asked. Kathy gave a nod, looking up at them. Olivia could see that she was tired and had done her fair share of crying, and Olivia actually felt sorry for her as she couldn't imagine what she was feeling.

"He's alright," Kathy breathed out as she glanced at her husband, "He's got a concussion, and his arm will be in that sling for a while. He lost a lot of blood though because the bullet hit an artery, but he's okay."

"We're glad he's alright; Elliot's always so nice when he comes by," Casey chimed in, shooting a look to Kathy, "He's apparently being hailed a hero; I did hear that when I went into the waiting room a couple hours ago."

"I heard that too," Maureen chimed in, a proud smile on her face; "He shielded a couple other detectives from being hit and shot the guy; he saved a lot of lives."

"But of course, he doesn't like the fuss." Kathleen added with a roll of her eyes.

"He's certainly never liked a fuss." Olivia giggled a bit.

She didn't miss the look Kathy gave her, leading her to swallow as her gaze briefly shifted to her feet.

"So, how long has he gotta stay here?" Casey asked, breaking the brief, awkward silence that had dawned over them.

"A couple days just to be monitored, but they've already said he's to be out of work for a couple weeks," Kathy glanced at him before looking back at Olivia and Casey; "I'll take a couple weeks too; just to be with him."

She was staring straight at Olivia as she said that, and this didn't at all go unnoticed by Casey or Olivia.

"That'll be nice," Olivia nodded before looking at Elliot again, who remained asleep and totally unaware of the chatter around him, "Erm, well I'll let him rest but I'll come back and see him tomorrow."

"We both will, and we'll bring gifts next time," Casey gave a smile; "Night guys."

A chorus of 'goodnight' followed as Casey and Olivia left the room. They walked to the elevator in silence, but just as the doors closed, Casey turned to Olivia and blurted out;

"She had one more time to give you some sly look before I punched her in the face."

"I knew you were gonna say something," Olivia groaned as she leaned against the wall of the elevator; "Casey, let it go; she's been through enough today."

"Yeah fair enough and I feel bad for her because that's her husband that was hurt today, but she doesn't have to be a bitch to his best friend simply because she's insecure." Casey retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"Case-"

"Liv, she's so obviously intimidated by you and that's why she's such a bitch," Casey continued talking, "Listen, I'm just saying, she needs to watch it – I'm not afraid to punch her in the face."

Olivia simply shook her head as she glanced at her friend; typical Casey.

Once the two exited the elevator, Casey gave Olivia a hug and told her she'd text her once she got home, before then wandering off to take the walk back to the emergency room. Olivia made her way outside and down the street a bit, luckily managing to hail a cab which she was grateful for as she so desperately wanted to go home and forget about this ridiculous day.

A bottle of wine and a movie; that was just what she needed to simply relax and not think so much about Elliot.

* * *

 **And that was part two! Let me know what you all think; I know it'll take a bit to get into but I hope you all enjoy it! I love you all! Until next time... xoxo**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone!**

 **I'm here with part three - and I'm so excited to share with you all. Thank you for your wonderful feedback so far!**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part Three**

 _Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!_

"What the-" Olivia jumped awake, her phone having buzzed to the point where it dropped onto her hand which had startled her. A night time talk show was playing on the television, the bottle of wine on her coffee table was half empty, and she was laying on the sofa under a blanket with no recollection of even falling asleep. A headache was starting to set in, which she attributed to having the wine and not much dinner as she hadn't been hungry when she came in. She was still in her scrubs from work and made a mental note to go shower and change before she went to bed.

She glanced at the clock on the wall; it was nearly midnight. Her phone had stopped buzzing for a brief moment, only to start again which led to her grabbing it from the floor. An unsaved number was across the screen, but Olivia was curious as it was the same area code for the area she was in. She took a moment to compose herself before answering;

"Hello?"

" _Liv – it's El."_

She gasped; Elliot was calling her. He sounded quite groggy which Olivia attributed to the events of the day and the medication he was probably on, but she was still so happy to hear his voice.

"El," she breathed out, curling up under the blanket, "Elliot, hey; how you feeling?"

" _Like a million bucks,"_ he chuckled quietly, _"Nah, I'll be okay – sorry I'm whispering by the way; Kathy is in the chair sleeping and I don't want to wake her."_

Olivia felt her heart sink a bit; of course, Kathy was there. _'Wait, why am I feeling – weird? She's his wife, of course she's there.'_ She thought to herself.

"El, go back to sleep; it's so late and I'm sure you're tired." She told him.

" _I am tired, but Mo and Katie told me you and Casey had come to see me and I feel bad that I missed you, so I had to call and say hi."_ He replied. Olivia could almost hear the little smile in his voice and it warmed her heart.

"I was going to come see you in the morning before I started my shift," she breathed out, "Elliot, oh my God, you know how to worry us all sick; I thought I told you to be safe." She teased a bit, but her voice was a bit wobbly as she really had been worried sick about him.

" _You did tell me to be safe and I tried; I guess I didn't duck quick enough eh,"_ he replied, chuckling a bit before continuing, _"Don't worry, Liv; I'm fine – just need some rest and I'll be good to go."_

"Elliot-"

" _Liv; stop worrying, please."_

Silence for a moment, before Olivia managed to make a joke; "Having a cop as a best friend is the reason I have so many gray hairs."

His laugh that followed her statement warmed her heart.

The two-continued chatting for a while longer; the conversation switched to what Olivia had done throughout the evening and what plans she had for the rest of the week as considering after her shift the following day, she was off for a few days. Olivia felt like she may have been reading too much into things, but to her, it seemed that Elliot was doing a good job of keeping her on the phone as each time she suggested they hang up, he seemed to bring up something else to talk about. She didn't know what that was about – if anything really.

But she was enjoying it. It was nice to know that Elliot wanted to talk to her.

Before they knew it, the time had reached one in the morning, meaning they had been speaking for over an hour. Olivia was just about to suggest to Elliot that he get some more rest, when he heard a faint – but familiar – voice in the background;

" _El, who are you talking to?"_

" _I'm talking to Liv."_

" _Elliot – it's one in the morning; why are you talking to her so late? You should be resting."_

" _Because I wanted to call her and talk to her."_

" _And it couldn't have waited until morning?"_

Olivia sighed slightly, a sinking feeling in her stomach. Part of her wondered if Casey was right. She wondered if Kathy was really _that_ threatened by her that she had to raise hell at the smallest things within Elliot and Olivia's friendship.

" _Kathy, I wanted to call my best friend and talk considering I missed her visit earlier, so don't start,"_ she heard Elliot sigh before he spoke again; _"Liv, you still there?"_

"I'm here." She quietly spoke, fearing that if she spoke any louder, he would hear the obvious quiver in her voice.

" _I'll see you in the morning; goodnight."_ she could hear the frustrated sign that escaped his lips, a sign that he didn't like the fact that their conversation was now over.

She swallowed, mumbling out a; "Goodnight, El."

She then hung up her phone and tossed it aside, shaking her head in despair. Without Elliot's voice in her ear now, a sense of loneliness crept over her. The warmth that came with hearing Elliot's voice was gone; the silence was now deafening. She wanted to call him back, or wanted him to call her back. She just wanted to talk to him a bit.

She swallowed, shaking her head a few times; _'Get a grip, Liv.'_

And with that, she stood up and made her way through to the bathroom for a shower. It had been a long day, and she needed some proper rest in her bed.

After her shower – during which she washed her hair and left it in a top knot to dry – she changed into a pair of shorts and a plain blue t-shirt before finally climbing into bed. The apartment was silent, apart from the quiet whirring of the refrigerator in the kitchen, or the ticking of the clock on her bedroom wall. There was the faint sounds of her neighbors to the side and above her banging around, the sounds of the city could be faintly heard through her closed window. But for the most part, things were silent and Olivia was left alone with her thoughts. She knew sleep would not come easily tonight; not after the events of this crazy day.

" _Elliot is alive and fine."_ She told herself, her brow furrowing as thoughts whirled around in her head. Elliot Stabler – her best friend in the whole entire world – was alive and well. He hadn't been killed today in the line of duty, something that Olivia always feared since he started on the force fifteen years earlier. It was something frightening about being the best friend of a cop, she had learned. There were many nights where he would text her and give her a heads up that he was working late on a case, or nights he'd be texting her off and on, giving her updates as to what he was doing. She still remembered the time about ten years earlier when he had been shot during an incident while he was in a court, something that frightened her to no end and led to her rushing to the hospital to check on him despite being ill herself at the time.

Olivia and Elliot had always had a very deep relationship. They could always sense when something was off with the other; that was a blessing and a curse sometimes. There was a time before that Elliot actually admitted that he told Olivia more things than he actually told Kathy, mainly because Kathy would cringe or change the subject sometimes when he'd try to talk to her, which led him to stop trying altogether and just not put those images of his job in her head. Olivia, on the other hand, would always ask about his day, no matter how chaotic or awful it was. She knew he needed someone to talk to sometimes, just like he listened to her, she would always listen to him.

A few years ago when Elliot and Kathy were having problems and temporarily separated, he had spent more time at Olivia's apartment, crashing on her couch until he got a small apartment about two blocks over from Olivia's apartment complex. She supported him throughout the separation, even supported him when he mentioned that she had filed for divorce and that he hadn't signed the papers. She was just trying to be his shoulder as she knew he needed it, and after all, he was one of the only friends she had, and she was one of the only friends he had as well.

It was also around this time that she began to notice Elliot, in a manner that strayed away from that 'brother and sister' or 'friendship' type. She no longer noticed him as just one of the boys she was friends with, but more so as the man he was, an extremely handsome man. She would find herself becoming lost in the ocean-blue color of his eyes whilst he chatted away about something. His deep, Brooklyn accent would filter through her ears and fill her stomach with butterflies. She looked forward to seeing him when she could, even if the circumstances weren't the most ideal when she saw him as sometimes it was at the hospital for a victim. They spent a large amount of time hanging out or talking, and she found herself looking forward to that more than normal. She would never tell Casey this of course, but it was during this time that she began to feel something for Elliot Stabler.

Perhaps that was why it hurt so much when he confided in her about his 'slip up' as he referred to it as; the time he slept with his estranged wife after a particularly hard case involving a man who murdered his whole family, including his children. He later told Olivia that he had gone to the family home in Queens to check on his kids, and in a moment of weakness while there, he ended up sleeping with Kathy. Olivia managed to mask her emotions and keep it together, but she felt incredibly hurt and after he had left her place to go back to his own apartment, she had gone to bed and sobbed to herself until she succumbed to exhaustion.

That was over two years ago, and obviously since then, he and Kathy were doing alright and they had their son, the adorable little two year old that Olivia was a proud godmother and auntie of. Sure, she still felt _something_ for Elliot, but she thought she was over it for the most part. Today, however, things had been brought up again that she had been trying not to think about at all. The thought of losing Elliot today frightened her; she almost felt nauseous at the thought of no longer having him around or no longer being able to hear his voice on the phone or see him come into the hospital for a victim. She was thanking God that he was alright, because she didn't know what she would do if she lost her best friend.

She wouldn't be able to take it.

She swallowed the ball of emotion in her throat as she snuggled under the blankets. _'Elliot is okay. He is okay.'_ She continued to repeat to herself as she clung to the pillow and closed her eyes.

She continued to repeat the words to herself until she finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Dark clouds and rain dawned over New York City the next morning, much to the dismay of Olivia as she looked out the window whilst approaching her kitchen. She hadn't slept much the night before; she had tossed and turned as nightmares about Elliot dying and her not being barred from the funeral by his wife had inhabited her mind and caused her to jump awake several times. When she woke up once again around eight, she decided to just get up considering she couldn't force herself to go back to sleep anymore. Though her shift didn't start till eleven, she had planned on getting up a bit early anyway as she wanted to go to work earlier to see Elliot.

She wore a pair of black scrub bottoms and a deep purple top along with black shoes today. She wore a bit of make up, so she didn't look as tired, and her chocolatey locks were tied back into a ponytail. Her breakfast consisted of some yogurt and a bottle of orange juice, as really that was all she could stomach as she simply was not that hungry. She knew that Elliot was fine, but the events of the previous day were still running through her mind and she just couldn't shake things off.

Maybe when she saw Elliot awake and talking to her in person, she would feel better.

After having breakfast, she quickly shot a text to Casey, telling her that she'd meet her in the hospital gift shop in the half hour. She glanced at the clock; it was already nine-thirty, so she figured she should get going, especially with how hard it was to get a cab in this weather. She quickly pulled on her hoodie and grabbed her umbrella and her bag that held her essentials, before heading off for another day – a day that she hoped would be a lot less chaotic than the day before.

Luckily, Olivia managed to actually hail a cab, so about half an hour later, she was wandering into the vast hospital gift shop which was built into the first floor lobby of the hospital. She spotted the blonde hair and slender build of her outrageous best friend; the young woman being dressed in a pair of black scrub bottoms and a light blue scrub top, along with a pair of black shoes. Her blonde hair was tied into a top bun and she wore a blue hoodie as well.

"Hey Case." Olivia greeted her, causing Casey to look up from the little knickknacks she was eyeing. The blonde gave her a smile, looping her arm around her shoulders.

"Hey Liv; you okay?" she sweetly asked, stroking her arm. Olivia nodded her head, giving her a small smile.

"I'm fine," she breathed out before looking around the shop, "So, what do you think we should get him?"

When Casey failed to respond, Olivia turned to look at her. Casey was looking at her with a raised eyebrow and a look in her eyes which Olivia knew all too well, leading the brunette to sigh and roll her eyes as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Why are you looking at me like this, Casey?"

"What's wrong? Don't tell me _nothing;_ I know you." Casey immediately replied. Olivia rolled her eyes, shrugging her shoulders as the pair began walking around the shop again.

"Elliot called me last night – it was around midnight."

"And – what happened? He always calls you at strange times anyway because of his job but, did something happen?" Casey paused for a second before continuing, "Oh God, he finally realized he wasn't happy with her and wanted you instead didn't he? It's about-"

"Casey, shut up," Olivia groaned; "That's never gonna happen and you know it."

"Keep living in denial, Liv," Casey picked up a soft brown teddy bear, "Anyway, carry on." She turned to face her; Olivia shot her a look.

"As I was saying; we were talking and we were having a good conversation, we talked for like an hour and it just felt so nice," she shrugged, eyeing a balloon that read _'Get Well Soon'_ ; "Then, Kathy woke up and asked who he was talking to, and he told her he was talking to me and she just got so – rude, I guess that's the word; telling him he should rest and when he was saying he wanted to talk to me or whatever, she was saying could it wait until morning and he was getting really annoyed with her – I could hear it in his voice."

She then looked at Casey, a sigh escaping her lips; "She can't possibly be _this_ intimidated by little old me? Me and Elliot have been friends for twenty years now; she used to be so nice to me but now she's just, I don't know. What do you think it means?"

Casey opened her mouth to respond, but stopped when Olivia held her hand up and said; "Don't you dare start with that Elliot has feelings for me crap; that's definitely not the case."

"I was not about to say that." Casey's voice went a bit high pitched as she spoke, something that Olivia knew only happened when she was lying. She gave her a knowing look, causing a sigh to escape from Casey's pouty lips;

"Okay, maybe I was – but I'm not gonna say it now," she picked up another teddy bear, this one being dressed in a cop uniform; "Liv, I don't know; I mean, I just think Kathy's intimidated because you're a beautiful, single woman; and what woman is comfortable with her man being best friends with a beautiful woman?"

"But if she trusts him, then she shouldn't have a problem." Olivia pointed out. She then quickly turned to the cashier to ask if they could have the bright blue ' _Get Well Soon'_ balloon, before turning back to Casey. The blonde was giving her one of those _'are you serious right now?'_ looks again, leading her to roll her eyes and fold her arms across her chest.

"What?" she whined. She picked up a card as well, looking at it quickly and deciding that it was good enough for a _'Get Well Soon'_ type thing.

"Or, Kathy has probably seen the look that Elliot has been giving you for at least the last four years." Casey pointed out. Olivia simply groaned and rolled her eyes as they made their way up to the counter to pay for the items. She could hear Casey giggling behind her as she pulled out her credit card, but the glare she shot the blonde quickly shut her up. Sometimes she couldn't believe the things that Casey came out with; the woman was truly outrageous.

After gathering their items in a gift bag – and quickly stopping in the lobby to sign the card – the two made their way into the elevator and up to the third floor. They spotted one of the friendly older nurses leaving Elliot's room as they approached the door; she gave them a smile before moving aside so they could step into the room. Elliot was sitting up and relaxing against the pillows, having some pancakes and eggs for breakfast along with some orange juice. His face lit up when he spotted the two women coming into the room – though Casey noticed it lit up more so as he noticed Olivia rather than her. She didn't say anything though, she wouldn't embarrass her friends anymore.

"Stabler, you owe me a box of hair dye – I found a gray hair last night, I'm sure it's from the stress you've caused." She joked. Elliot chuckled a bit, giving her a quick hug with his good arm before releasing her.

"Nice to see you too, Casey," he then looked at Olivia, whom was eyeing him from the foot of the bed, "I don't get a hug from my best friend?"

Olivia's lips curled into the biggest smile as she made her way around to him. She wrapped her arm around his neck loosely, hugging him gently but tight enough to show that she cared and to show that she was grateful for him being alright. His strong arm was around her and his palm was spread on her back, rubbing gently with his thumb as he buried his face into her shoulder.

"You're okay." She whispered, breathing out. She stood up to let go, but she noticed the reluctance of Elliot to do the same as he held her for a little longer, before finally letting go. His hand slid from her back around to her side before he finally let go, his blue eyes sparkling as they looked up at her.

"I'm okay," he told her before eyeing the gift bag, "I do accept gifts though, Benson." He smirked, holding his hand out. Olivia rolled her eyes and slid the bag into his hand before quickly tying the balloon to his bed. Elliot rummaged through the bag, smiling at the card and the teddy bear as he held them in his hands.

"Thanks for this; I appreciate it." He happily spoke, looking up into Olivia's warm brown eyes.

"I helped pick the gifts out and we both signed the card, so do I get credit here too?" Casey smirked, plonking herself down onto the chair beside the bed.

"Thanks for the gift Olivia _and Casey_ ; I appreciate it." Elliot put the emphasis on Casey's name to make her feel appreciated, leading her to give a cheesy smile to her two friends whilst Elliot and Olivia just shook their heads in despair.

With it being about forty minutes until their shift was meant to start, Olivia and Casey spent the next half an hour chatting about random things – Elliot was telling Casey and Olivia about his son, Richard – or Dickie – and how he had recently started going on and on about his voice cracking and how he was _'becoming a man'_ ; something that made both girls crack up as they could only imagine how much of a handful the twelve-year-old could be. They also talked about how his daughters were doing; how Maureen was wanting to study medicine and how Kathleen was excelling in her AP courses in school, and how Elizabeth – Richard's twin – was currently wanting to learn as much as possible about make-up, something he jokingly blamed on Olivia as he reminded her about how she'd gotten the young girl a starter makeup kit as a gift for her eleventh birthday the previous year. Casey and Olivia loved hearing about the Stabler children and how they were all growing – Olivia especially as she had been there since the beginning for them all; especially Maureen, whom had already been born and was one when she'd met Elliot.

About half an hour later, their conversation was interrupted by the door to the room opening. Olivia immediately recognized the faces of the Stabler twins – Elizabeth and Dickie, whom were walking in ahead of their older sister, Maureen. With the permission of Kathy, the two had taken the day off from school to spend time with Maureen and had insisted on coming to see their dad before they began the activities of the day. When they spotted Olivia and Casey, they smiled and waved to Casey, before launching themselves into the arms of Olivia.

"Liv, we haven't seen you in forever." Elizabeth spoke, looking up at her whom she often saw as an older sister.

"We were starting to think you'd forgotten about us," Dickie chimed in as he cuddled her tightly, "You doing okay, Liv? Has Dad given you gray hairs too?"

"Oh yeah, he's definitely given me and Casey some gray hairs," Olivia giggled before gesturing to Casey, "This is Casey by the way, she works with me. Case, these two are Elliot's dose of double trouble – Elizabeth and Richard, or Lizzie and Dickie." .

"It's nice to meet you Lizzie and Dickie _,_ " she shook their hands before turning to Olivia, "Liv, our shift starts in ten minutes so I think we better go."

"Oh shit," Olivia groaned as she turned back to Elliot, "I'll come visit on my break; don't give the nurses any trouble, please."

"I would never give your fellow nurses any trouble," Elliot held his arm out for a hug, "You nurses stick together, so I'll be on my best behavior."

"You better be, Stabler." She smirked. She leaned down and gave him a hug, scratching the back of his neck lightly before letting go.

"See you later." He smiled, slowly releasing her from his hold. She smiled, before bidding farewell to the twins and Maureen as well. Casey too bid them all farewell, before the two nurses left together to go begin their shifts in the emergency room…

And Olivia tried to ignore the constant butterflies fluttering in her stomach, and the tingling feeling she felt as though Elliot's arm was still wrapped around her…

* * *

 _ **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next part is already in the process of being completed, but let me know what you thought of this part. Do you guys think Elliot has feelings for Olivia or is Casey reaching? let me know ;) Until next time... xoxo**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys!**

 **So, you guys have been AWESOME about this new fic so far and I am truly grateful. I know it probably seems a little slow at the moment, but I've got some plot twists and all that coming along soon.**

 **But, enjoy this for now please xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part Four**

Compared to the previous day, the emergency room of Mercy General was pretty relaxed today – apart from a slight rush that had come in following a multi-car pile up which had resulted in some injuries for a few motorists, a couple of which were severe. For the most part, however, things were moving along nicely and there wasn't much chaos ensuing the room as compared to the previous day. The more relaxed nature allowed for Olivia and Casey to get their paperwork done in a timely fashion, whilst the two of them chatted away about random things such as their plans for the upcoming weekend. Both girls were off this weekend as well as Monday and Tuesday, as today was their last day of a ridiculously long nine day work stretch, so they figured they best do something fun and enjoy the five days they had away from this place.

"So, it's settled; I'll come to yours tomorrow after we shop and I'll be your roomie all weekend." Casey smirked, leaning back in her chair. Olivia simply rolled her eyes before giving her friend a smirk in return.

"Suppose I don't want a roomie for the weekend?" she teased, raising an eyebrow. Casey simply rolled her eyes as she stood up, stretching her arms over her head.

"You do Benson, and you'll accept," she rummaged through her bag for a bottle of water, "Tomorrow we can go shopping, and then on Saturday we'll watch movies and do our nails and stuff our faces, go out on Saturday night, nurse hangovers on Sundays, and then figure out something for Monday and Tuesday." She smiled when she found the bottle, before untwisting the cap and taking a long swig.

Olivia simply giggled, looking up at her best friend. She had to admit she'd love the company, so of course, she couldn't say no to Casey.

She looked at the watch on her arm, a sigh escaping her when she realized she'd only been at work for four hours and still had another four to go. However, with being halfway through her shift, she did realize it was time for a break and so she stood up as well, grabbing her leather tote bag from the floor and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Come on, let's take an hour – we can go see Elliot quickly then go get something to eat from the diner across the street." She suggested. Casey nodded in agreement, her blonde ponytail swishing to and fro as she did so. She grabbed her own leather tote bag as well as her own iPhone before joining her brunette friend. They relayed to their supervisor that they were taking an hour for lunch, before strolling over to the to the stainless steel doors. The pinged open and a couple doctors stepped out to enter the emergency room, leaving Casey and Olivia the opportunity to step into the small room. Casey pressed the _3_ button, leading the elevator doors to slide shut before the contraption began its ascent to the third floor.

"Think the bitch is there?" Casey asked, leaning against the wall of the elevator.

"Casey," Olivia shot her a warning look, "That's her husband, of course she's there."

"He's probably wishing that it's you constantly by his side." Casey muttered. Olivia shot her a glare.

"Case, let it go." She groaned.

"Don't act like you didn't realize how tightly he was hugging you earlier, Liv; the man wants you." Casey argued, folding her arms across her chest.

"You're delusional."

"And you're in denial."

Olivia rolled her eyes, playfully shoving her friend before stepping off onto the third floor once the doors pinged open. The pair made their way down the hall, their shoes making a faint scuffle sound as they strolled down the carpeted floor of the hallway. They waved at a few of the friendly, older nurses as they passed the quiet nurses station. They reached Elliot's room after a few moments; the door was slightly ajar and Elliot was sitting up in bed with his two year old son, Eli, on his lap whilst they were reading a book together. Kathy was sitting in the chair beside his bed, scrolling through her phone.

"Hey, we just came for a visit." Casey spoke up, capturing everyone's attention. Kathy gave a raised eyebrow and rolled her eyes, something that didn't go unnoticed by Olivia, whilst Elliot gave them his friendly smile. As soon as little Eli saw Olivia, he quickly scrambled out of his father's lap and came running full speed over to her, launching himself into her arms.

"Livie!" he squealed happily, giving her an adorable smile as his curly blonde hair bounced all over the place. Olivia scooped him up into her arms, kissing his cheek. She had been a huge part of the little boy's life since his arrival a couple years earlier. She had, had the day off and was taking Kathy to a doctor's appointment for Elliot as he had been working during the time and had forgotten about it. On the way to the appointment, however, she and Kathy had been involved in a car accident and Olivia had helped to keep Kathy stabilized, as well as help with delivering the baby once they were inside the ambulance. She had basically saved both Kathy and little Eli's lives that day. Since then, she had played a good role as his godmother and super auntie in his life; something that annoyed Kathy but Elliot was more than happy about.

' _You saved her life and her son's life, so I don't get what her problem is with you.'_ Casey would often say this as well; Olivia would just roll her eyes as it was all a mystery to her as well.

"Hey buddy," she cuddled him tightly before holding him as he was now looking at Casey in wonder; "Eli, this is my friend Casey; Casey, meet Eli."

"Hi Eli, it's nice to meet you." Casey sweetly spoke, shaking his little hand.

"Hi Casey," the little boy greeted her with a smile before turning back to Olivia, "Livie, Daddy got owie."

"He did, but he'll get better soon, and he'll be able to play with you and stuff right?" she spoke in a soft voice to the little boy. He nodded his head, before hugging her yet again.

"Me miss Livie." He mumbled. She gave a soft smile, sweetly kissing the little boy's cheek.

"I missed you too, buddy." she whispered before putting him down onto the ground. Eli gave her a smile before turning his attention to Casey, leaving Olivia to wander over to Elliot. She could feel Kathy's burning gaze on her, but she tried to ignore it as she squeezed Elliot's shoulder. Elliot moved his arm around to pull her into a hug, something that caught her off guard as it wasn't what she was expecting to happen while his wife was sitting right there.

"How's work so far?" he asked.

"Slow today," she shrugged, looking between him and Kathy; "How are you guys?"

"We're fine." Kathy replied. Her response was short, and her attention was turned back to her phone in an instant. Olivia glanced over at Casey, who was looking at Kathy as if she wanted to punch her in the face. Luckily, Elliot hadn't noticed the look on Casey's face as he was looking at his wife as well, and Olivia wondered if he too had caught on to the tone of her voice.

"I'm good," he finally breathed out after a few moments, looking back up at Olivia again, "I personally feel like I could return to work tomorrow but nobody else sees it that way."

"A bullet hit your artery and you had a concussion; I think you staying home for a couple weeks is the best idea." Casey butted into the conversation from her spot on the floor with Eli, where they were playing with some of his blocks.

"Alright thank you for the input, Case," Elliot rolled his eyes, before his attention was captured by Kathy standing up; "Where you going, Kath?"

"To get something from the vending machine," she responded, glancing at him, "I'm taking Eli with me, unless he's fine here?"

"He's fine here; he's no trouble." Casey told her, glancing up briefly before turning her attention back to Eli as he was tapping her arm. Kathy nodded before leaving out, an awkward silence following her departure as the three adults wondered what was up with her sudden attitude change.

"Is she okay?" Olivia curiously asked.

"Probably just the stress of all this," Elliot sighed before looking between his two friends, "Anyway, shouldn't you two be getting back to work now?"

"We're on an hour break, first of all; second, are you trying to get rid of us, Stabler?" Olivia teased, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I was just wondering." Elliot chuckled lightly. There was a hint of amusement in his crystal blues; Olivia smirked as she playfully poked his good arm.

"He's definitely trying to get rid of us," Casey joked; "Nah, we'll go when Kathy gets back, so you won't have to handle this little guy on your own."

"I won't even object because I can't get up to get to him quickly when he starts getting into trouble." Elliot laughed, relaxing back against the pillows.

The next few minutes were spent engaging in light conversation; Olivia and Casey were telling Elliot about their plans for the weekend which were making him a little jealous considering he would probably be stuck inside all weekend. Still, he was glad that Olivia and Casey were getting some days off, as like him, they did work quite a lot and had very little time for themselves. He joked with them to think of him while they were partaking in manicures and pedicures, leading Casey to joke that they'd come over to his and paint his nails for him which set them all off laughing.

Once Kathy returned, Olivia and Casey decided it was best to leave them to it, plus they wanted to get some lunch before their break was over. Elliot once again took Olivia by surprise by pulling her into a hug, and once again she could feel Kathy glaring at them both though she said nothing. She and Casey then bid them all farewell – of course, after Eli cuddled the life out of both women as he had now taken a shine to Casey too. After saying goodbye, Olivia and Casey made their way back down to the first floor and straight out the doors to head across the street to the diner.

The diner was small and quaint; the standard round shaped box establishment with its shiny roofing and concrete, outside walls. Inside, the floor was black and white checker tiled, the counter space was red with shiny stools that had red cushions for seating. The booths lined the windows of the tiny establishment, sticking to that classic feel with black leather seating and basic red tables in the middle. The walls were decorated with the classic chalkboard menu that displayed food choices and prices in different colors and paintings of various fifties icons such as Elvis and Marilyn Monroe and so on. There was even a classic jukebox in the corner. The waitresses were dressed in pink dresses and white shoes with white aprons, and their hair were in fifties style updos, keeping with the theme of the place. The establishment was popular in this part of town, and those that worked at the hospital especially loved it due to the quick service that was often provided.

The restaurant was empty for the most part, so Olivia and Casey were given a booth straight away. Since they already knew what they wanted to eat from the popular place, they gave the waitress their orders straight away; Olivia having opted for a chicken salad hoagie with fries and some water, while Casey went for a turkey burger with fries and a sweet tea. Once the friendly waitress had wandered off to get their food and drinks, the two women were left alone to chat.

And of course, Casey was not going to let the visit to Elliot's room go by without commenting on it.

"I just wanna know what the hell Kathy's problem was." She burst out, tying her blonde hair up into a bun.

"Case, she's probably just stressed out with everything going on with Elliot." Olivia pointed out. She rummaged through her bag before pulling the iPhone from the confines before typing in her passcode to unlock the device.

"No excuse for her to be the way she is, Liv; and the way she was looking at you guys when Elliot gave you a hug, I nearly punched her." Casey continued ranting away, glancing up from her own iPhone to look at her friend.

"I felt so weird when he hugged me in front of her but I don't understand why? Nothing's ever happened between me and Elliot, nor is anything going to happen." Olivia shrugged, a perplexed expression on her face. Part of her was tingling from Elliot's strong arm around her, yet she still hadn't expected him to hug her the way he had done in front of his wife. She also couldn't miss the feel of Kathy's burning gaze, something that had made her uncomfortable and led to her trying to avoid eye contact with the woman as best she could.

"I'm telling you, that woman is picking up on something that even you and Elliot don't realize." Casey huffed, leaning back in her seat.

"Casey." Olivia shot her a warning look. Casey scoffed before folding her arms on the table and leaning closer to her friend.

"Olivia, look me in the eye and tell me you feel nothing for Elliot Stabler."

"Well of course I care about him; he's been my best friend for twenty years." Olivia replied. The two paused briefly when the waitress returned with their drinks and to tell them that their food would be out in a few minutes. The two thanked her and waited for her to walk away, before turning back to each other.

"That didn't answer my damn question." Casey retorted. Olivia rolled her eyes, leaning back in the seat with her arms folded over her chest.

"Drop it."

"Tell me you feel nothing for him and I will."

"Casey."

"Olivia."

"Oh my God," Olivia groaned, running her hand down her face before looking at her friend again; "What the hell do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me you have feelings for-"

"Liv!"

"Hi Olivia!"

Olivia looked up, a perplexed expression on her face as she tried to place the familiar figures that were waving at her. Her lips then curled into a smile when she realized who the taller, African-American gentleman was with the shaved short hair and friendly smile, wearing a pair of black slacks and a dress shirt, along with black shoes and a leather jacket. Standing with him was a taller, white gentleman with gray hair and glasses, and an equally friendly smile. He was wearing a grey suit with a blue tie and black shoes.

It was Detective Odafin Tutola, Elliot's partner in the Special Victims Unit, and the other gentleman was Sergeant John Munch, also of the Special Victims Unit. She had met Fin before when he had come to the hospital to interview a rape victim along with Elliot and she had met Munch before when she had gone to the precinct one day to see Elliot after not having heard from him due to their busy schedules.

"Hi guys," Olivia stood up as the two police officers made their way over; "You guys on your way to see Elliot?"

"Yeah, so we're grabbing him something to eat so he can stop eating that hospital trash that y'all be trying to feed him." Fin smiled, giving her a hug. Munch gave Olivia a hug as well, before both men then waved at Casey.

"This is my friend, Casey; we work together," Olivia introduced them, "Casey, this is Elliot's partner, Fin, and their Sergeant, John Munch."

"Nice to meet you guys." Casey smiled, shaking their hands.

"Nice to meet you too." Munch smiled back at her.

"Real nice," Fin echoed his sergeant's sentiments, his brown eyes having suddenly lit up as they stared at her before he turn looked at Olivia, "Ay baby girl, you didn't tell me you had such a beautiful friend."

Olivia rolled her eyes and smirked while Casey blushed slightly, biting her lip.

"Olivia, why didn't you tell him about me?" she shot a playful glare at her best friend. Olivia laughed, sitting back down in the booth.

"Must have slipped my mind, Case." She smirked back. Casey playfully poked her tongue out at her. The four of them engaged in a bit of conversation; Fin and Munch were talking about how things were progressing in the aftermath of the shooting as Olivia and Casey had asked about such. They did express how Elliot was being hailed a hero, however, as he had managed to save quite a lot of lives that day even if he had gotten hurt himself. Olivia had to smile at that; she loved knowing how much of a hero her best friend was and how grateful the officers were for him.

A few moments later, Munch and Fin bid the pair farewell as they were grabbing their food and heading to visit Elliot. Casey and Olivia's food had arrived at the table, and now the two friends were tucking into their meals while the conversation had shifted from Elliot to other things, such as the very obvious way Casey's eyes had lit up and the way she blushed and giggled when Fin said she was beautiful.

"Is he single, do you know?" she wondered, sipping her drink.

"I'm not sure if he is or not, but I'll be sure to ask Elliot for you." Olivia replied, rolling her eyes while Casey gave her a cheesy smile as they continued their lunch…

* * *

 _11:49pm_

This was the time indicated by the glowing blue, digital numbers on the electric stove in the kitchen as Olivia Benson stumbled into her apartment. Her shift was originally meant to end at seven, but when her seven o'clock relief person called to say that she had an emergency, Olivia simply stayed to work until eleven. It wasn't all bad really; the emergency room had quieted down some which allowed for the nurses and doctors to relax a bit. Plus, Casey's shift hadn't ended until eleven anyway, so having her best friend around helped Olivia to cope with the extra four hours. They'd even managed to spare about half an hour to go visit Elliot around ten, whom was grateful for some company considering Kathy and the kids were gone for the evening.

A yawn escaped Olivia's lips as she maneuvered through the apartment, flicking the switch to the floor lamp in the lounge before going towards the kitchen area. She flicked on a switch in that area as well, allowing for ceiling lights to illuminate the area so she could maneuver around easily. She was tired and simply wanted to just curl up in her bed and go to sleep as it had really been a long day. Her plump lips curled into a smile as it dawned on her that she didn't have to set an alarm for the following morning, so she could sleep as late as she wanted before getting up and going shopping with Casey. She definitely planned to enjoy these next few days off; she certainly deserved it.

Her iPhone buzzed in the bottom of her bag as she sat it down on her kitchen counter, capturing her attention. She reached in and whipped the device out, a smile on her lips when she saw two texts – one from Casey and one from Elliot.

 _Casey: 11:50pm – I'm alive lol just stumbled into my apartment. I'm so tired, can we meet up around 2 tomorrow or did you wanna go earlier?_

Her fingers danced across the screen as she quickly replied to Casey's message;

 _'11:51pm – I'm alive too lol I'm exhausted. 2 is fine with me; I'm sleeping in tomorrow.'_

She then scrolled down a bit, smiling as she opened Elliot's message;

 _'Elliot: 11:49pm – Are you home safe? Do I need to call Fin or Munch?'_

Olivia couldn't stop her lips from curling into a smile as she read the message. Elliot, even while bandaged up from a gunshot wound and laying in a hospital bed, was still being his normal, protective self and worrying about her wellbeing. He had always been like this; so protective over her and looking out for her. They'd made a pact some years earlier and had agreed that no matter what the time was, they would text each other when they arrived home. Elliot was more pressed that Olivia do this, considering he never did like the fact that her shifts sometimes ended quite late which would result in her trying to hail cabs and such when it was nearing midnight.

 _'11:51pm – Lol no need to call Munch or Fin; I'm safe. Are you okay? Shouldn't you be resting?'_

She had just put her phone down and reached into the fridge for a bottle of water when her phone began buzzing on the counter. She looked over at it, giggling a bit to herself when she realized what had come across the screen; _'Elliot calling.'_

"Yes El?" she playfully answered, reaching into the fridge for some lunch meats to make herself a sandwich.

" _I just wanted to hear your voice and make sure you were really alright."_ Elliot replied; Olivia could almost see the shrug of his shoulders as he spoke.

"You just needed to find an excuse to call me," she activated the speaker and put her phone onto the counter, "Why aren't you asleep?"

" _Can't sleep, I'm sick of being cooped up in here."_ He replied.

"Well El, you'll be able to go home on Saturday won't you? The doctor said a couple days just to be monitored, and then you'll be fine, so chill out." She replied.

" _Tone down the sympathy, Liv."_

"I do have sympathy for you, sweetheart, but get a grip and relax; you'll be home soon," she giggled whilst she continued fixing her sandwich, "Me and Case are gonna drop by and see you either before or after we shop, then maybe once you're home and settled we can come see you on Monday or something."

" _What about Saturday and Sunday?"_ he teased; Olivia could hear the smile in his voice and it warmed her heart.

"Since when do you wanna see us every single day?"

" _Maybe I just wanna see my best friend every single day, Casey is just the plus one since you two are a packaged deal."_

Olivia laughed; it was true, her and Casey were always together it seemed.

"If you want me, you gotta deal with her too," she finished preparing her sandwich before sitting down on one of her bar stools at the counter, "Elliot, seriously, we'll come see you on Monday – I promise."

" _You really promise?"_ he asked.

"I promise." She replied, biting her lip as he let out a chuckle.

As she ate her extremely late dinner (or midnight snack), Olivia continued to engage in conversation with Elliot about general things. She had laughed when he told her that Fin kept asking about Casey during the visit earlier in the day, to which Olivia responded with the fact that Casey too kept asking about Fin and her eyes would light up as she did so. They also talked about the latest episode of one of those ridiculous cop shows they both watched, Elliot whined some more about how much he hated being there in the hospital and how he wished his night nurse was Olivia or Casey; something that gave Olivia butterflies for some reason though she quickly shrugged them off.

Before either of them realized, it had been nearly an hour since Elliot had called and they were still talking – well, playing one of those question games. Olivia was now laying across her sofa and having a glass of wine, and a random film was playing on the television though she wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention. She was listening to Elliot's voice, allowing that deep, urban laced accent to filter through her ears and make her feel all warm inside.

" _Okay Liv, next question – would you rather have a home on the beach or in the mountains?"_

"Can my home on the beach be secluded?"

" _As secluded as a beach house can possibly be,"_ Elliot chuckled softly, _"Answer the question."_

"Hmm," Olivia considered her response, "Maybe, on the beach – because there is a chance for a bit of seclusion, and I can watch the sun rise and fall over the water and that's beautiful." She pulled the throw from the back of the sofa over herself as she continued, "What about you?"

" _Hmm…I'd like to have a home in the mountains I guess; I can be a hermit and not be bothered because who would come up a mountain to visit?"_ Olivia could hear the seriousness in his tone and if she closed her eyes, she could see the sincerity in his blue eyes as he spoke those words.

"That's a good idea, but I would come to the mountain to visit you, El."

" _You and Casey?"_

"Just me, because Casey doesn't like heights." She grinned when she heard him laugh a bit.

" _I forgot that she hates heights,"_ she heard him shuffle around a bit, _"Your turn to ask."_

Olivia thought for a second about what to ask him next; "What qualities would make up your ideal partner – if you were single obviously?"

" _Wow, I've never thought about that considering I was thrown into marriage at seventeen,"_ he paused for a second before continuing, _"If I was single, my ideal partner would be someone who was compassionate and caring, with an empathetic nature, with kindness in their eyes and heart, yet tough and ready to take down anyone who messes with the ones they love. Someone I could be silly with and laugh about the stupidest things or have so many inside jokes with. Someone I could rely on at all times to be anywhere at any time, someone who likes simple things like dates in the park or watching the waves or taking spontaneous trips to Coney Island, or other cheesy stuff like photo booths and stuff – stuff like that."_

Olivia was frozen as she listened, it seeming that all air had been sucked from her lungs as she gripped the phone in her hands. Her heart rate had increased slightly, her lip was drawn in between her teeth, and she was gripping the blanket so hard that she swore her nails would leave indents in the soft fabric.

' _You just described me.'_ She thought to herself before her subconscious kicked in; _'No Liv, he could've been describing anyone in general.'_

" _Livia, you fell asleep on me?"_

Her heart swooned; he hadn't called her _Livia_ in a while.

"No, I'm okay, just had some wine so you know how that makes me sway a bit sometimes," she tried to cover up the fact that his voice was still ringing in her head, "That was a pretty amazing description of your ideal partner; if you were single, obviously."

" _Yeah, if only,"_ she didn't miss the sad sigh that escaped his lips before he spoke again; _"You wanna tell me about your ideal partner, or are you about to head off to bed? You worked a solid twelve hours today so I know you could do with some rest."_

Olivia hesitated for a second. She debated on whether or not to tell Elliot about her ideal partner, but she had some wine, and when Olivia and wine mixed, a case of word vomit seemed to become a major thing. She knew Elliot would probably catch on to who she was describing and that would in turn make things awkward between them, and she refused to lose her best friend due to her delusional feelings.

"I think I'm gonna head to bed, it's nearly one in the morning and in about thirteen hours, I'm meeting Casey so I guess I better sleep," she sighed slightly, "We'll come see you tomorrow or I'll call you; sleep tight, El."

"Yeah go on and get your beauty sleep," he chuckled a bit, "Sleep tight, Livia; and sweet dreams – speak to you at a more acceptable hour."

She laughed, turning off the television before making her way through her apartment with the phone still up to her ear. She breathed out, her soft voice filtering through the darkness of the bedroom as she spoke down the phone;

"Sweet dreams, El; goodnight."

 _Click._

* * *

 **Sooo….do you guys think Elliot has feelings for Olivia? ;) Silly question I know. What's up with Kathy's attitude though? And why won't Olivia admit the truth to Casey? Lots of questions; leave some reviews! Until next time xoxo**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello you guys!**

 **I'm finally back with an update. I had to rework some things with this update, but I finally got it to go the way I wanted it to go. So, I hope you all enjoy it!**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part Five**

 _Knock knock knock!_

The incessant knocking sound filtered through the apartment and into the ears of a sleeping Olivia, whom jumped awake before checking her phone for the time. It was just after eleven, and while it was a perfectly reasonable time for her to be waking up, she was still cursing under her breath as she really just hated being woken up with a passion.

Plus, whoever this was, had interrupted a great dream that had involved her and a blue eyed detective.

She yawned as she made her way through the apartment, her bronzed legs and arms on display due to the tank top and shorts combination she had been wearing for bed. As the knocking sound filtered through her ears again, she simply shouted, "Hold on a second!" whilst making her way closer to check the peephole.

Blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, a tank top and black leather jacket, skinny jeans, blue eyes, sunglasses perched on the forehead, the strap of a black bag hanging on a shoulder – Casey.

"I thought we were meeting up!" she burst out as she snatched the door open, glaring at her best friend.

"We were, but then when I woke up this morning I felt refreshed, so I just came over here instead," Casey took in the appearance of her best friend as she walked into the apartment, "Did I wake you?" she questioned with a smirk. Olivia rolled her eyes, closing the door and locking it.

"I didn't sleep until almost two, so yeah, you did wake me." She replied. Casey slipped her feet out of her black lace up, combat like boots before making her way to the kitchen.

"What kept you up so late? I was at least in bed by one." She wondered, glancing over shoulder before looking through the refrigerator. Olivia followed her, yawning slightly. She glanced at the clock on the stove, rolling her eyes when she saw the time; 10:32am.

"I was talking to Elliot." She spoke with a shrug of the shoulders, before pushing past her friend to hold up the orange juice that Casey had so obviously been looking for. Casey gave a nod and took it, before suddenly looking back at Olivia with wide eyes as if it had suddenly dawned on her what her brunette best friend had just said.

"Elliot?"

"Yeah – you know, our friend, the detective whose wife works with us." Olivia replied with a raised eyebrow.

"What the hell were you doing talking to him so late and how long were you talking? What did you talk about?" Casey began firing questions at her, nearly spilling the orange juice as she was now barely paying attention to what she was doing.

"Make a mess and I'll kill you," Olivia groaned before replying, "But it was nothing, Case; he was wondering if I got home safe and then we just chatted about general stuff and played a stupid question game because we were bored."

"Has he slipped up yet and announced that he's in love with you?"

"Casey, oh my God," the brunette smacked her palm against her forehead, "Give it a rest; it's not like that."

"Keep telling yourself that." Casey told her as she hopped onto the counter. She stared at Olivia as she sipped her drink, swinging her legs to and fro before continuing, "What kind of questions were you asking each other?"

"Stupid stuff like whether we would rather have a house on a beach or in the mountains, what ice cream flavor we would be, what our ideal partner would be, what-"

"' _What your ideal partner would be?'_ " Casey tilted her head to the side, "What did you or him say to that?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow, stopping for a second as she looked at her friend. Part of her wondered if she should lie to Casey about Elliot's response, as she was still trying to figure the response out for herself. However, she also knew that Casey could read her like a book so if she even made an attempt to lie, her best friend would know it and bombard her with questions until she got a straight answer.

"I didn't answer it because I was tired, but he did." A simple shrug of the shoulders accompanied her reply. She bent down to grab some water out of the refrigerator in a bid to distract herself, but she knew Casey was not letting this one go.

"What did he say?"

Olivia sighed; well, so much for letting this one slide.

She then gave Casey a general overview of Elliot's answer to that question, not wanting to repeat it word for word as Casey would more or less have an excuse for her theories about Elliot's feelings regarding Olivia. Truthfully, Olivia was trying to process the response herself as she did wonder where it had come from. She had tried to tell herself that Elliot was just giving a general description, but even she could hear from the tone of his voice that it was much deeper than just something so general and basic.

Casey's lack of response once she had explained started to unnerve Olivia. She knew her friend was about to do one or two things – give a sensible response, or go off on one of her theories.

"Okay," she finally spoke up after a few moments; Olivia back against her island counter as she looked at her friend, "Okay so…and you really don't think Elliot feels something for you?"

"It was a hypothetical question, Casey – he was just answering it in a hypothetical sense, like if he was single." Olivia simply replied, a hint of defensiveness in her voice before she continued, "He's married, Casey."

"Sure he's married but he basically described _you_ ," Casey watched as Olivia groaned and downed her orange juice, "You know I'm right."

"I'm not having this conversation with you."

"Because you don't want to be proven wrong."

"I'm getting a new best friend." Olivia jokingly muttered as she made her way back towards her bedroom, a chuckle escaping her lips when she heard Casey's dramatic gasp and response of; "You love me too much to let me go!"

"Yeah, right!" Olivia called back before closing the door, shaking her head in despair as she began getting ready for a day with her best friend…

* * *

A little over an hour later, Casey and Olivia were comfortably sat in the back of a taxi as they made their way farther into the city to do some shopping. Olivia was now dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and a plain white off the shoulder top, as well as a pair of white Converse trainers and a black leather jacket. Her white and black striped bag was on her shoulder, and her sunglasses were perched on her forehead. Her brunette hair was pushed back slightly due to her sunglasses and was flowing down to her shoulders.

"They're having a sale at Victoria's Secret today and I think we should go." Casey pointed out, looking out the window as they passed throughout the city.

"Who are _you_ trying to look cute for with nice underwear?" Olivia teased, looking up from her phone as she had been scrolling through her social media feed.

"You never know," Casey shrugged, "Besides, you need cute underwear for when Elliot-"

"Knock it off," Olivia interrupted her before continuing, "Jesus Casey, we're like almost forty; stop making it sound like he's got some ridiculous teenage crush on me."

"How about _you_ stop living in denial?" Casey teased. The brunette simply rolled her eyes as she looked out the window. _'I will not talk about this with Casey.'_ She thought to herself as she watched the city pass her by.

The taxi soon came to a stop at the entrance to the big shopping mall located in the heart of Manhattan. Olivia paid the fare, before she and Casey then exited the vehicle. They made their way inside the luxurious mall, the atmosphere being filled with the sounds of shoes squeaking against the shiny marble floors, people chatting and laughing excitedly, and the smell of food from various eateries within the food court area, which was a few feet from where Casey and Olivia had entered. The two weren't hungry yet, so Casey simply grabbed her friend's arm and half dragged her into the big Victoria's Secret store.

"Liv, your skin is annoyingly tan always, so anything looks good on you," Casey pulled a white lace bra and panty set from a rack, "But this would drive any man crazy on you."

"I don't exactly plan on wearing anything like that for anyone soon." Olivia pointed out, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

"Elliot would like it." She muttered. Olivia whirled around, shooting a glare at her friend.

"Give it a rest, Casey."

"I will, when you stop living in denial," Casey pulled a navy blue set from the rack, "I like this; this is for me." She turned her attention to more items to flick through, while Olivia rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone as it buzzed in her back pocket. When she saw who it was that had text her, she couldn't stop her lips from tugging upward into a cute smile. She didn't want Casey to see her smiling at her phone else she'd never hear the end of it, so she turned away a bit.

 _'Elliot: 11:52am – Olivia wake up!'_

 _'11:52am – I'm up already, El! Lol Casey showed up around 10:30 this morning and so now we're already out shopping! What are you doing? How do you feel?'_

 _'Elliot: 11:53am – Buy me something. I feel okay, just had a shower and now I'm waiting for the nurse to bring my food. Are you coming to visit me today?_ '

Olivia toyed with her phone for a bit, debating on what to reply with. She noticed that Elliot was adamant on her coming to see him, and while the logical part of her was continuing to insist that it was due to the fact they were best friends and they loved to see each other anyway, a small part of her was wondering if it was something beyond the realm of their friendship. She wouldn't dare share this concern with Casey as she already knew what her blonde haired, outrageous best friend would say, but she was certainly wondering.

But then again, he was married. There was no need in getting her hopes up about that other possibility because it would never happen. He simply wanted to see her because of their strong friendship and because he loved having chances to see her. Nothing more, nothing less.

 _'11:54am – Lol I'll consider buying you something! Don't give the nurses a hard time, behave yourself and all that. Yeah; me and Case should be done here by at least four or five, so we can come visit you before hospital visiting hours are over. Kathy and the kids coming by?'_

 _'Elliot: 11:55pm – Kath is pulling a twelve hour shift today, kids are at school, Eli is at daycare. Kath will probably come by on her break and before she goes home. That's about it lol I'll be glad to go home tomorrow.'_

 _'11:56pm – If you go home tomorrow'_

 _'Elliot: 11:57 – Please don't joke with me like that.'_

"Liv!"

Olivia jumped, turning her head to look at Casey. There was an amused look on her face as she stared back with her eyebrow raised, leading Olivia to roll her eyes as she leaned her arm on the clothing rack.

"What?"

"I called your name three times," Casey smirked as she walked backwards towards some lounge wear items, "Who were you texting – if I can't already guess?"

"It was just Elliot." Olivia replied as she followed her friend to the comfortable items of clothing. She picked up a pair of black sweatpants with _PINK_ written down the leg, before looking up and rolling her eyes as she saw Casey still smirking at her.

"Case-"

"I mean, Elliot had your attention like that and you were smiling at your phone," the blonde stepped closer, "What were you talking about?"

"Nothing, literally nothing," she groaned as she tore her gaze away from the blue eyes of her friend, "I asked how he was doing and all that, and he asked if we were coming to see him and I said we were; nothing much, just typical joking on between me and El as usual."

"Mhm." Casey hummed as she grabbed a couple pairs of sweatpants, a t-shirt, and some comfortable slippers.

"Don't read much into it, Casey; it was just normal stuff – relax." Olivia remarked, rolling her eyes before picking up a pair of comfortable slippers as well.

"Whatever you say."

Olivia rolled her eyes once more, a smirk on her lips as she and Casey continued to roam throughout the store.

* * *

By the time the evening rolled around, Casey and Olivia were loaded down with shopping bags from various stores. After Victoria's Secret, they had visited several other stores, buying clothes for the upcoming warmer months and sweaters to wear to work, clothes to wear when they went on a night out, more shoes that they probably didn't really need but wanted anyway. The shopping trip had been a good way to rejuvenate and besides, it felt great to spend time together outside of work. They had even thoroughly enjoyed the manicures they had gotten; Olivia had opted for having her nails painted a light blue color with little crystals on, the color contrasting perfectly against her Oliva skin tone, while Casey had gone for an emerald green color with sparkles over them which contrasted perfectly against her ivory skin tone.

After they had gone to a nearby restaurant and stuffed their faces with burgers, fries, and massive ice cream sundaes for dessert, the two headed back to Olivia's apartment for a bit. They wanted to put their shopping bags away, so they wouldn't have to lug them along to the hospital. Once inside, they dumped their bags onto Olivia's bed then went to the kitchen area for a bit to grab a bottle of water.

"So it's almost five now, so we can still make it to the hospital before visiting hours are over." Casey remarked. Olivia nodded as she sat herself down at the counter top.

"Elliot will be glad; he's been whining all day about how bored he is." She shrugged as she swiped her thumb across the screen to unlock her phone.

"He's bored because his favorite brunette isn't around today," Casey smirked as she slid a bottle of water across to her friend, "Come on; let's go see your bestie."

Olivia rolled her eyes, but nodded nonetheless as she grabbed her bag. Sometimes, she wished Casey would shut up so much about these so called feelings that Elliot had for her. Elliot saw her as his best friend; nothing more, nothing less. She had come to that conclusion years ago.

The two girls left the apartment and headed back downstairs, and luckily they were able to hail a taxi straight away. After Casey told the driver where to take them, the two settled in the comfortable back seats for the short journey to the hospital. Casey was preoccupied with looking out the window and watching the city go by, leaving Olivia to whip out her phone and drop a text to Elliot.

 _'5:04pm – Hey! Me and Casey are on our way; need anything?'_

 _'Elliot: 5:04pm – Hey Liv; nah, don't need anything. Can't wait to see you…and Casey lol'_

Olivia smiled softly at the message, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering around. As much as she wished her blonde best friend would shut up sometimes, another part of her was starting to wonder if Casey was right; she was kind of wondering if what Elliot felt for her went beyond the realms of a 20-year-friendship. But on the flip side, she had to remember that this was the same Elliot Stabler; the same Elliot that had been married for years now and the same Elliot that always told her he couldn't wait to see her and such. Elliot didn't see her as anything more than a best friend; that was the truth. She didn't mind; she would rather have Elliot as her best friend rather than screw it up and lose him altogether.

It wasn't long before the car stopped in front of the hospital. Casey paid the driver before sliding out along with Olivia. The two went inside and straight up to the third floor, speaking to various personnel they passed that knew them obviously from their work in the emergency room. Once they reached Elliot's room on the third floor, Olivia knocked twice before opening the door, smiling when she saw her best friend sitting up in the bed, having something to eat whilst watching something on the television that was mounted on the wall. When he noticed the two women come through the door, his face lit up.

"Hey," he paused to swallow the mouthful of food before wiping his mouth on a napkin, "You two have a good day?" He greeted Casey with a fist bump, before pulling Olivia into a hug as he always did. Olivia hugged him back, being careful not to hurt him before she let go and sat on the chair beside his bed.

"It was great; we got a lot of stuff we didn't really need but nothing new there." Casey smirked as she sat on one of the other chairs that was dotted around. Elliot chuckled, nodding his head as he looked between them.

"Buy me anything?" he flashed his cheesy Stabler grin; Olivia and Casey exchanged a glance before rolling their eyes.

"Maybe next time, my friend." Olivia giggled, curling her legs under her whilst Elliot simply chuckled, his mood having improved dramatically now that the two of them were there.

Olivia and Casey filled Elliot in on their day; telling them about the fun they had shopping and the fun they had being able to talk and laugh about normal things all day, even throughout their manicures and their dinner. They had even gone as far as to show Elliot some of the photos they had taken throughout the day; Elliot complimented them as he often did in that gentlemanly way, telling them that the photos were beautiful because they were two beautiful people. Olivia didn't notice it much, but Casey noticed that Elliot was more so looking at Olivia when he made those remarks, something that caused her to smirk to herself as she curled up in the chair. She didn't comment on it though; she would probably comment on it later when she and Olivia were back at the apartment, but she knew Elliot was talking more so to Olivia than both of them, despite his words.

She knew she was right about Elliot's feelings towards Olivia, but Olivia didn't see it and frankly, she refused to debate with her about it. Okay, so maybe she would debate with her about it again later on.

About an hour later, the three of them were currently engrossed in a police procedural drama on the television; Olivia and Casey were in fits of laughter as Elliot commented on how overly dramatic some of the bits were in the show. As they were simply enjoying the time together, the door suddenly opened which captured their attention. Casey rolled her eyes and returned her attention back to the television, while Elliot gave a smile and Olivia had a rather nervous look on her face.

Kathy had just shown up.

"Hi ladies," she muttered – Olivia swore she glared at her – before she strolled over to Elliot, greeting him with an overly dramatic kiss on the lips, "Hey honey; they're letting me leave early so I figured I'd stay here with you tonight."

"Oh yeah; that's great." Elliot smiled as he rubbed her hand. Olivia's gaze flicked to the ground then over to Casey, who was looking over at her with a look in her eyes that Olivia knew all too well.

"Well, erm El, me and Casey are gonna head off, it's been a long day," she stood up, prompting Casey to do the same, "See you later; sometime before my work schedule gets crazy again."

"Oh yeah; I think our supervisor is about to have you two working a lot of my shifts since I'll be out while Elliot is home recovering." Kathy blurted out as she practically pushed Olivia out of the way to sit in the chair beside the bed. Olivia looked at her for a second, before then turning her attention back to Elliot. He held an arm out to her, prompting her to give him a quick hug before Casey did the same.

"Liv, text me so I know you two got back safe." He told his brunette friend, giving her a smile. Olivia nodded her head. She and Casey then wished them both a goodnight before leaving together. Once on the elevator, Casey immediately began with;

"She's a bitch."

"Casey." Olivia warned, giving her a stern look. Casey rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest as she leaned against the elevator wall.

"She is, Liv; and you know she is," she stepped closer to her friend, "We aren't gonna go on and on about her though; let's go have a fun weekend stuffing our faces and all that."

"Yeah, let's do just that." Olivia mumbled, giving her friend a soft smile. She wouldn't tell Casey, but Kathy's behavior just now had really struck something within her. She had always been aware of her own feelings for Elliot, but she had kept them at bay. But today, the sight of Kathy greeting him with a kiss and him rubbing her hand had almost been too much to handle.

She needed this relaxing girls weekend with Casey. Maybe it would help her feel better, and maybe it would help her stop thinking about Elliot so much in this way.

* * *

 _ **Another chapter completed. What do you guys think? Do you think Casey is right? And what's up with Kathy - what are you guys thinking about her? I know it's going a bit slow, but just work with me guys; EO is coming along - maybe. Leave some reviews! Until next time... xoxo**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello friends!**

 **I'm hereeeee - with a new chapter. This chapter will be more so from Elliot's side, focusing on his first few hours at home. But unfortunately, there's a little tension between him and Kathy, so...well just have a read.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 06**

The next day brought clouds and random, spiritic rain showers to the city of New York. Elliot was released from the hospital around ten in the morning, and by eleven-thirty, he was relaxing in his recliner chair in the living room of his Queens home. Maureen had been by to check on him before she headed to the Hudson campus to go to work at the coffee shop. Kathleen was upstairs on the phone with friends, and Lizzie and Dickie were across the street at their friends' house. Eli was currently having a nap on his playmat in the corner, surrounded by his stuffed animals.

And Kathy…she was in the kitchen, preparing something to eat.

With everyone being busy with their own bits and bobs, this gave Elliot time to think. He had been doing a lot of things since he was shot few days earlier, and while thinking was never a good thing for him because it made him face things that he wasn't quite ready to face, this time, thinking was serving a good purpose.

This was now the third time he had been shot in the line of duty, and that frightened him because there was always that wonder of _'will this be the last time I make it out of here alive'_ and the fear associated with it. As religious as he was, Elliot Stabler had a fear of death and dying. He feared losing his life and not being able to be true to himself and his family, of continuously staying somewhere that was his obligation and comfort rather than going where he knew he needed to be.

He closed his eyes as he leaned back in the recliner a bit, but as soon as he closed them, a flash of olive skin and brunette locks danced across his vision, leading him to quickly open his eyes and take a deep breath. This was _exactly_ he had been thinking about for the last couple days following the shooting.

He almost couldn't fathom how quickly a day could change, how one moment could alter one's life and throw the tranquility into some sort of chaos. That's what Wednesday had been; a snap – from tranquility to chaos – in the blink of an eye. Elliot had stared death in the face more times than he liked to admit during his time on the force. He was usually staring death in the face in the back alleys in the worst parts of the city or abandoned warehouses, trying to reason with a perp who was waving a gun around, or pointing it directly at him. However, Wednesday was something that just left him feeling a bit numb even though it had been a few days.

He had known the whole time they were working on this case that it was going to go badly, that something would probably pop up and take a bad turn. The case involved rape-homicides of immigrant children, and the father of the last victim swore that he would kill whoever was responsible. Elliot had told the man several times to let them handle it, and actually promised the man that they would get whoever was responsible. The man backed down for the most part, but Elliot had, had a nagging feeling throughout the whole few days of them working that the tables were about to turn for the worse.

He was right; the guy they knew was responsible was a cop from another precinct. They had managed to get him caught and the case was pretty much a slam dunk, but when the judge – whom knew the cop personally – opted to give him a lighter sentence, it sparked outrage throughout the entire city, but especially within the father of the victim. The man had come to the precinct and opened fire, swearing that the cops had failed him and were protecting one of their own. Elliot briefly remembered jumping in the way of a couple other detectives and managed to draw his gun and fire in a bid to disarm the man. He had managed to do so, but not before the man pulled his own trigger twice which caused two bullets to lodge into Elliot; one of which hit the artery, and the other which lodged in his bicep.

He remembered what he was thinking in those moments. His first thoughts were of his five beautiful children; he hoped to God that the moment wasn't the end of him, because he had to be around to see his children grow up; they were everything to him. But it was his next thoughts that frightened him the most.

The next thoughts were Olivia – her smile, her eyes, her laugh, the way she would delicately tuck her hair behind her ear, the way her ponytail would swish when she'd whirl around to face him.

 _That_ truly frightened him. When he had woken up later that night in the hospital, he had toyed with his phone for a bit, debating on whether or not to call her, especially after hearing she had been up to see him while he was asleep. But it was the fact that she was in his thoughts and not his wife that completely freaked him out. After he was shot, he was supposed to pray to God that he could stay around for not only his children of course, but for his _wife_ as well. Instead, occupying his thoughts along with his children was his best friend – his very beautiful best friend.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a minute, sighing as he rested his head back against the soft back of the recliner. He wouldn't admit this to anyone, not even to his partner at work. Olivia was just his best friend; that's all she was, and that's all she saw him as – a friend, a confidante. They had been in this dynamic for twenty years. They went to bat for each other, but that's what best friends did. He knew she didn't really have any family considering the relative she stayed with when she first moved here passed away some years earlier, and so he was all she really had. But, she only saw him as a best friend. And besides, he was _married,_ so it didn't matter that he was remembering the way she smiled or how her eyes looked like melted pools of chocolate when she looked at him; he was _married,_ and she only saw him as a _best friend._

"Elliot, honey."

He opened his eyes at the sound of his wife's voice. As he watched her walk towards him and looked up at those bright blue eyes of hers, guilt washed over him. He felt guilty for thinking of Olivia so much, for thinking of Olivia in the moment of him being shot instead of thinking of the woman whom had been by his side, had been the love of his life, for the last twenty years.

' _Stop thinking of Olivia like this, you bastard.'_ He thought to himself as he smiled up at his wife.

"I made you a turkey sandwich and here's that juice you like," she handed him the plate which contained a sandwich that had been cut in half, and the tall glass of red juice; "Do you need me to get you anything else or are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I promise," he nodded as he looked back at the plate, "Thanks Li... _love_ ; thanks, my love." He quickly corrected himself as he lifted his head again, swallowing hard when he realized what he was about to say. Kathy eyed him for a second before smiling as well then retreating from the room. Elliot sighed, hoping to God that she hadn't caught on to what he was about to say.

He was really about to call his wife _Liv;_ what in the fuck?

He reached over and grabbed his phone from where it was charging beside the lamp on the end table. He slid his finger across the screen to unlock, casually munching on one of the sandwich halves as he began texting away;

 _'11:38am – Morning lazy. Wake up and talk to me.'_

He put his phone down onto the arm of the chair before turning his attention back to the television. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to send that text considering he almost called his wife by _her_ name, but he couldn't stop himself. He just wanted to talk to her for a bit; he missed her. He had just seen her less than twenty-four hours earlier, yet he fucking missed her.

 _Buzz._

He snatched his phone up, smiling straight away;

 _'Olivia: 11:39am – I'm up lol been up; me and Case have been working out and now we're having smoothies. What are you doing?'_

 _'11:40am – I wish I could go workout; I'm sitting around. Liz and Dickie are visiting friends, Kathleen is upstairs, Mo is at work, Eli is sleeping; I'm bored.'_

 _'Olivia: 11:41am – What about Kathy?'_

He grumbled to himself, swallowing the lump in his throat. Leave it to Olivia to mention his wife, something that made him feel even guiltier even though it wasn't as if he was doing anything wrong.

 _'11:42am – In the kitchen making food. You and Casey have other plans for the day?'_

"Dad."

Elliot looked up, spotting Kathleen as she made her way through to the lounge. She plonked herself down on the sofa closest to him, curling her legs under him as she turned to face him. He raised an eyebrow for a second before sighing; "What do you want?"

"Nothing major," Kathleen held her hand up before continuing, "I just…does Olivia…uh…" she paused for a second; "Do you think Olivia is busy today? I want to talk to ask her something."

Elliot gave a confused look. Out of all his children, Kathleen had always been the one that was super close to Olivia – next to Eli – but he did wonder what she wanted to talk to her about, and not him or Kathy.

"What about?"

"Can I just call Olivia, please?"

"Katie-"

"Dad," Kathleen held out her cell phone, "Can you put Olivia's number in please, so I can call her?"

"What is it that you want to talk to her about and not me or your father?"

Both Elliot and Kathleen looked up, spotting Kathy making her way over towards them. She sat herself down on the other end of the sofa, eyeing her daughter, who simply rolled her eyes whilst pushing her phone into Elliot's hand.

"Something that I know she won't judge me for unlike you and Dad," Kathleen gave a tight lipped, sarcastic smile before turning back to her Dad, whom had sighed as he handed the phone back, "Thanks."

"She was having smoothies with Casey, so you might not get a response until later." Elliot shrugged. Kathleen nodded before jumping up from the sofa, her fingers dancing across the screen of her phone as she hummed to herself whilst making her way back out of the living room. Elliot stared after her for a second before focusing his gaze on his wife. A confused look came across his face, however, when he noticed the glare she was giving him.

"What?" he questioned.

"Why is it that she won't talk to us, but she'll talk to _Olivia_?" there was an edge in her voice that Elliot picked up on, and he paused for a moment, so he wouldn't slip up and say something to cause an argument.

"I don't know; I'm just as confused about it as you are," Elliot bit into the other half of the sandwich, "She's a teenage girl, Kath; Mo was the same way, much rather confide in another adult about something rather than her parents."

"But did that other person have to be _Olivia_? She has teachers she can talk to?" Kathy shrugged before looking at him again, "And how do you know that she and Casey are having smoothies and stuff?"

"Because I text her to say hello and see what she and Casey were up to; they are my friends," Elliot squinted a bit, a feeling of pure irritation taking over when he noticed the unamused expression on his wife's face, "Why are you bothered? I text and talk to Olivia all the time; she's my friend."

"More than you text and talk to me." Kathy mumbled, focusing her gaze on the television.

"And what's that supposed to mean? I talk to you all the time."

"But you'll tell _Olivia_ about your day all the time; you never tell me about it."

"Oh my God, not this again," Elliot groaned; he'd had this fight with Kathy before and he wasn't in the mood to have it again; "First of all, whenever I do try to talk to you about things, you change the subject. Yeah, I'll admit that I talk to Olivia a lot, but you act like I ignore you or something for her, when that's not the case."

"Doesn't she have a life or something? She's always talking to you or talking _about_ you to Casey; I hear her when we're at work." Kathy retorted.

"Kathy, she's my _friend;_ you know that, she's been my friend for twenty years," Elliot moved his plate over onto the table before snatching his phone up, "I'm not arguing about this with you; not again – what the hell is your problem with her anyway? If I do remember correctly, she did go out of her way to save both yours and Eli's lives, so what is your issue with her?"

"I just feel like you'd rather talk to her sometimes; it's been like that since you met her." Kathy rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. Elliot simply stared at her for a second. He couldn't deny the fact that he would rather talk to Olivia sometimes, but he also knew that it was partly due to Kathy's actions when he would try to talk to her about anything, and truthfully, he wanted to keep the horrors of his day away from his family. He squinted in annoyance; he didn't want to start an argument, but she was slowly pissing him off.

"You probably think of her all the time too," Kathy shrugged, looking back at him, "Do you think of her when you're with me, in our bed; when you're f-"

"Oh, shut up, don't fucking start that," Elliot stood up abruptly, his temper rising even more as he shot a glare at his wife; "You know I would never; I don't know how many times I have to say that I love you before you believe it. I don't think of her when we're together, especially not like _that._ So, don't even fucking start it."

"You stayed at her place when we split up before, Elliot!"

"And that's because she took me in when I had nowhere to go because _you_ kicked me out of the house that I pay for," he shot back at her before holding his hand up, shaking his head; "I'm not doing this; I need some air."

"Oh yeah, just walk away Elliot – like you always do when I'm talking about your precious _Olivia._ "

Elliot stopped in the doorway of the living room, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he seethed in anger. The cold plastic of his phone could be felt in his hand as he squeezed the device in his hands, fighting every urge he had to throw it across the room then launch his fist through the drywall. _'I love this woman. I love this family. I can't walk away because I love them.'_ He kept saying to himself as he squeezed his eyes shut; he kept telling himself that he couldn't leave Kathy because he loved her and his family.

But God, how he wished he could be cleared to drive because he needed to get away from this house right now.

He shot one more look at her before shaking his head, walking towards the front door. He slipped his sneakers on; his heavy footsteps echoed through the foyer, the front door creaked as he swung it open, and slammed as he closed it behind him. He zipped the grey hoodie up before slowly walking down the walkway towards the sidewalk, before starting on a walk to help himself calm down.

He found himself walking in a daze until he reached the park where he often took Eli if he was off and the other kids were at school. He sat himself down on one of the benches and rubbed his hand over his head, feeling the obvious tension in his neck that stemmed from the anger that was still radiating off him following the heated discussion with his wife.

Sometimes, he didn't understand this wife – hell, he wondered if all women were like this if their husband had a friendship with a woman for so long like the one he had with Olivia. Olivia had been nothing but respectful to Kathy upon meeting her all those years ago. Olivia even once told him that looked up to Kathy; admiring her for being eighteen, working towards attending nursing school, and taking care of a child. Things had been cordial at first; Olivia even went as far as to help Kathy out with the kids while Elliot was away for a bit to serve with the Marines some years back as well or helping when Elliot was working late, and Kathy had to work a night shift and needed someone to watch the kids. Olivia had always gone out of her way to be cordial to Kathy and help the Stabler family with anything they needed, and that's what Elliot admired the most about her, that's why she was one of his best friends.

Elliot wasn't sure when things changed; when the arguments went from being about him not being home enough due to his crazy work schedule, to suddenly the main focus being Olivia. When he and Kathy had split up a few years earlier – and she kicked him out of the house – the main argument at the time had revolved around him talking to Olivia "too much". Elliot had defended his actions straight away, explaining that he only talked to Olivia a lot because she was the nurse tending to the victims that he and Fin would show up at the hospital to see, and sometimes she would call if he had to work late and see if he was okay, or she'd talk to him on the phone when it was late, and he was driving home at all hours of the nights. There were times where he would be working a case in the city until late into the night, and with the exhaustion looming over him, he didn't feel safe driving all the way back to Queens and so would crash at Olivia's place. There was so much innocence between him and Olivia, but Kathy was convinced that it was Olivia that he wanted, when he was trying as hard as he could to prove that it wasn't the case.

It all came to a head when Kathy found out that he was staying with Olivia during their separation – temporarily really when he was trying to find an apartment. He still remembered that night from a few years earlier; he and Olivia were watching a film when his phone rang, and when he said hello, Kathy began ripping into him, explaining how she found out from his partner that he was staying with Olivia. He remembered the worried look on Olivia's face as she sat with him, listening to him explain that he was only staying there until he got a small apartment, and when Kathy refused to accept that explanation and began calling Olivia a bunch of derogatory names that were completely unnecessary, Elliot snapped back at her, his anger having gotten the best of him as he defended his friend.

He figured that things would've gotten better since the incident from a couple years earlier when Olivia had ultimately saved the lives of Kathy and little Eli. She was the one who – despite knowing that the woman didn't like her – had kept Kathy stabilized and helped deliver the little boy. Kathy had been grateful to her and had actually been nice to her for a little while, but once again, her feelings towards the woman were changing and Elliot was growing sick of it.

He pulled his phone out and pressed the button, sighing when he saw he already had four missed calls from Kathy and a few texts from Kathleen. He put his head in his hands, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried his best to calm down. He had often thought about what would happen if Kathy asked him to choose between her and Olivia, and he thought about how difficult that would be. He loved Olivia; she was perhaps one of the only true friends he actually had. But he loved Kathy, loved his family. He would never choose between the two, and if it ever came to the point where Kathy was to make him do so – well, he didn't know how that would end at all.

The rolled his shoulders a bit and fiddled with his hands; the anger was slowly disappearing from him and he felt calmer now that he had gotten some air in his lungs. His phone buzzed, and he grumbled, prepared to answer and tell Kathy he would be back home soon, only to stop when he saw the name on the screen;

 _Olivia._

He truly did need his best friend right now. He swiped his finger across the screen before holding it up to his ear;

"Stabler."

" _Hey, its me,"_ Olivia's soft voice was heard from the other end; Elliot closed his eyes as the last remnants of anger faded at sound of her voice; _"Uh…you okay?"_

"Yeah; why wouldn't I be?" he lied and closed his eyes; Olivia could read him like a book.

" _Because your daughter text me, telling me she heard you and Kathy arguing and you weren't answering Kathy's calls or Kathleen's texts,"_ Olivia replied before sighing; _"Elliot, what's happening? Do you need to talk?"_

Elliot hesitated, wondering if he should tell her what the argument was about. He knew she'd blame herself or feel bad that she was at the center of an argument between her friend and his wife, but he also knew that if he brushed it off, she would probably push him about it until he told her. He had to admit; Olivia was always one that helped him to open up about his feelings, and as much as he hated it sometimes, he knew he needed it.

"Argument – yet again," he sighed, looking down at the ground as he clutched his phone in his hand, "It's the same fucking cycle, Liv; fucking ridiculous."

" _What did you guys argue about?"_ he could hear some keys jingling and heard the faint sound of Casey's voice in the background. He didn't want to burden her, especially when she was trying to enjoy some time off.

"Don't worry about it, Liv; it'll be fine," he paused for a second, his gaze flickering to the ground, focusing on the cracks in the sidewalk; "I'll be fine; you need to be enjoying your time off, not listening to my problems."

There was a pause for a second, then he heard her speak again; _"Elliot – did you argue about me?"_

Silence. He couldn't bring himself to answer that question. His lack of response spoke volumes, however, and he heard her sigh on the other end of the phone.

" _Figures – I'm kind to her but she doesn't like me for whatever reason,_ " he knew that she was rolling her eyes as she spoke; _"I'm always here if you need to talk, you know that – and if you want me to talk to Kathy, I'll talk to her. Let me guess – she's upset that Kathleen wants to talk to me about something and not her?"_

"Exactly that, and then the same old argument about how I talk to you more than her; sick of it – it's a cycle; we've been good for the last couple months and now here she is again with it." He sat back on the bench, watching the people in the park.

" _Elliot, I think any woman is threatened when their husband has a close relationship with a woman; relax – but Kathy should also understand that nothing has ever happened between us. We're just friends; best friends – she needs to chill out too."_

"I keep telling her that, but it's not getting through to-" he paused as his phone buzzed; Kathy was calling him again, "Liv, I'll call you back; Kathy is calling so I guess I better head home."

" _Go sort things out with Kathy; call me later – I'm always here, you know that."_

Elliot nodded even though she couldn't see him; "I know Liv, and I appreciate it…I…love you."

There was silence for a bit, then a hesitant voice; _"I love you too, El."_

The two then hung up; Elliot stared at his phone for a bit, stunned at the words that had slipped from his lips moments earlier. In twenty years of friendship, he had never told Olivia that he loved her. He swallowed as he tapped at the phone screen, his finger now hovering over his wife's name as thoughts swirled around in his head. He loved his wife, and when he just told Olivia that he loved her, he meant it in a friendly way – totally platonic. He loved Olivia in the friendship sense; nothing more and nothing less.

He tapped his wife's name as he stood up, holding his phone up to his ear as he began walking back in the direction of his home.

* * *

 ** _Anddddd that's the end of that. Leave some reviews guys; is Kathy being a little out of order or is she in the right? And Elliot - he loves Olivia as a friend right? Or is that just what he's telling himself? The next chapter may be focused on Elliot again; we shall see. Until next time...xoxo_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyoneeee!**

 **Soo...I'm back, with yet another update. I don't even know what to say about this update; just read on!**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 07**

Elliot refrained from speaking much throughout the rest of the day. Following his return to the house, he did apologize to Kathy for blowing up at her, but when she tried to apologize, he simply shrugged before heading upstairs. He apologized to Kathleen as he knew how much she and all the kids hated to hear them argue; Kathleen simply nodded before giving him a hug, telling him that she hoped he was okay. Elliot then retreated back downstairs and simply relaxed in the lounge while Kathy pottered around the house, doing laundry and tidying up their room as well as Eli's room. Eli was none the wiser to the tension in the house, and simply relaxed on the sofa with his dad whilst getting up every now and then to bring over some of his little cuddly toys to play with. Lizzie and Dickie returned as it grew close to dinner time, but even they picked up on the tension in the home and simply retreated to Kathleen's room to hang out with her for a bit as they knew to simply stay out of the way when their parents were fighting.

Dinner was a little awkward to say the least; the only sounds to be heard were of Dickie making noises as he helped Eli with his food, and the clinking of cutlery against the plates as the kids and their parents ate their tasty spaghetti dinner that Kathy had prepared. Once Dinner was finished, Lizzie went to the kitchen to do the dishes as it was her turn, and Elliot helped her to tidy up. Kathy took Eli down the hall to clean the food off his face and hands, and Dickie went upstairs, only after he hollered over his shoulder to Lizzie for her to hurry so they could play cards with Kathleen, whom was already upstairs again.

After helping Lizzie tidy up the dishes, and after making sure she didn't need any help, Elliot decided to go outside for a bit to get some air. He sat himself down on the patio chair, relaxing against the soft cushions as he crossed his ankles over one another. He hadn't talked to Olivia much after speaking with her earlier; she had text him every now just to check and see if he was alright, to which he responded that he was fine and thanked her for checking on him. He was truly grateful for her, as despite the fact his wife hated her and they'd had argument about her, she wasn't distancing herself. In fact, she was the reason he hadn't put his fist through the wall yet considering that's what he had been wanting to do throughout the day.

His phone buzzed, capturing his attention from blankly staring at the twinkling stars in the sky. He picked it up from his lap, a small smile on his lips as he saw a text; _Olivia._ He slid his finger across, his eyes going wide when he saw her brunette locks now in a darker shade of brown, looking extremely glossy and flowing in loose curls, spilling over her tanned shoulders that were on display due to the tank top she was wearing. Her brown eyes were shimmering, and her lips were curled into the brightest smile.

 _'Olivia: 8:32pm – Does my hair look okay? Casey says so; I need both my best friends' opinions'_

Elliot chuckled to himself. This was something Olivia had been doing for years now. Whenever she was about to head out for the night, she would always text him a picture and ask his opinion on her hair or make up. He always told her the truth – which was the same thing – she looked beautiful.

 _'8:33pm – Casey was right; looks great! You know the drill; text me when you get to the club (name included so I know), text me when you're leaving, and text me when you get home – no matter what the time is. You two be safe and have a good time!'_

 _'Olivia: 8:34pm – Lol yes dad I will :P stop being a cop for five seconds, please and thank you sir. Lol nah I appreciate your concern; me and Casey will be safe – I promise. Is everything okay with you and Kathy now?'_

 _'8:35pm – I'm just looking out for you Benson lol_ _I apologized to her and she apologized to me; haven't talked much – it'll be fine.'_

There was nothing for a few moments, when suddenly his phone buzzed to life. Olivia was calling him now, like he knew she would when he replied in that manner, so he slid his finger across the screen.

"Stabler."

" _Stop answering my calls like that, El."_ She teased straight away, causing him to chuckle as he looked towards the sky again.

"It's a habit."

" _It's annoying,"_ she joked before going serious; _"Are you alright, seriously? I'll talk to her if you want me to."_

"It's fine, Liv; stop worrying – it's just a typical fight, we'll be fine in a day or so." Elliot replied. He didn't want Olivia to get involved in his marital turmoil. He knew she was just trying to help, but he really didn't want her involved – he didn't want to run the risk for Kathy to have yet another reason to hate Olivia.

" _Well still, let me know and I'll talk to her if you want me to, I want you guys to sort it out,"_ she paused for a second; Elliot waited for her to speak again; _"Me and Casey wanna come out and see you tomorrow – after we drag ourselves out of bed."_

"I'll come there; I can drive – it's not hurting as much anymore since it's been a few days so I'll come into the city. Kathy has a lunch planned with one of her friends tomorrow and the twins are spending the day with one of their friends for their birthday, so after I drop them off, me and Katie and Eli will come see you and Casey – maybe we can meet for lunch." Elliot suggested.

" _Sounds like a plan, pal,_ " she paused; Elliot could hear chatter in the background, _"Right El, let me get going so me and Casey can finish sorting our lives out; talk to you later – and I promise I'll text you when I'm meant to."_

"You better, or I'm sending Fin to find you both; have fun, and be safe," he bit his lip, before softly speaking; "Um…and thanks, for everything."

" _Don't thank me, that's what friends are for."_ She replied; his heart fluttered slightly at her kind words.

The two bid each other a farewell before hanging up. Elliot ran his hand over his face, staring up at the starry sky yet again. He bit back the groan that was threating to escape his lips; he wondered when the fuck his brain became such a scrambled mess of thoughts and feelings that both frightened him yet excited him.

Yet he knew the answer. His brain became a scrambled mess when Olivia Benson entered his life; he didn't know it then, but he damn sure knew it now. She was in his life for a reason – and that reason went beyond being his best friend.

* * *

 _Buzz! Buzz!_

A tired groan escaped the lips of both adults some hours later as they lay in their marital bed. There was still a bit of awkwardness between them; he was sleeping with his back to her but she had rolled over to face him and wrapped her arm around his middle with her head resting against his back. They had talked a little bit before going to sleep, both making an attempt to apologize again and this time talking it out instead of snapping at each other and making snide comments. It was better than not working it out at all, so they would take this as a win and try to move on some more.

The phone continued to buzz. Kathy rolled away, muttering; "Elliot, it's two in the morning - shut that thing off."

"I plan on it." Elliot prepared to rip into whoever was calling him, yet his heart dropped when he saw who was calling him; _Olivia._

" _It might be because she's drunk; relax – maybe nothing's wrong."_ He told himself, yet he knew that it was rare that Olivia ever called him during her nights out; she always remembered to text him. His years on the force and the things he had seen were only adding to his heightened sense of anxiety, but he managed to keep him voice calm and steady as he answered;

"Stabler."

" _El."_ She was speaking quietly, and this immediately put him on edge. He could hear the sounds of the city in the background; cars whizzing by and horns beeping. She was outside.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he immediately blurted out, sitting up and whirling his legs out of bed. He felt the bed shift as Kathy had rolled over to look at him, but he ignored her as he listened to his best friend on the other end of the phone.

" _El, I need you to…to get Fin, to come g-get me."_ She hiccupped a bit and he noticed her speech was slurred more so than it normally would be when she had something to drink.

"What's the matter? What's wrong? Where's Casey?" he wondered. He was already up, pulling on some jeans and pottering around the room to find a shirt.

" _Casey left with a guy; mutual friend of ours,"_ Olivia whimpered slightly, _"Can you p-please call Fin?"_

"You're scaring me, Olivia."

" _El, please; call Fin and I'll tell you tomorrow."_

"I'm on my way now."

" _No, you just call F-"_

"End of discussion; don't move – I'll be there as soon as possible." He didn't even wait for a response. He hung up the phone and shoved it into his back pocket before buttoning up his jeans and pulling on a t-shirt, being careful not be too hasty as his arm was still sore. He stuck his feet into his sneakers and pulled his hoodie on, just as Kathy sat up in the bed and turned the light on.

"Of course you're going to help your precious Olivia." He could hear the bite in her tone and he rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for this right now. Olivia needed him and he was going to get her.

"Not now; I think she's in trouble," he snatched his keys off the beside table; "I'll be back."

And without even waiting for an answer, he raced down the stairs and out of the house. As he jumped into his Jeep and started the engine, he prayed to God that Olivia wasn't seriously injured – or that anything worse had happened to her.

Elliot knew he had probably broken some speed laws as he breezed down the empty roads and over the empty bridge from Queens that led into Manhattan. The normal half hour it took to get into the city actually took about fifteen minutes, and before he knew it, he was pulling along side the road outside the noisy club that Olivia and Casey had been it. Through the windows and with the flashing lights inside, he could see that it was packed. The area surrounding the entrance was swarming with people, whom were chatting loudly and smoking cigarettes, whilst some others were still trying to get into the club as they stood in a long line that was going down the street. He looked around a bit as he sat in the driver's seat of the Jeep, looking for any sign of his friend. He focused his gaze on a small, brunette woman whose curly hair was falling around her face. She was sitting on the cement with her back against the brick wall outside the club, her knees pulled up to her chest and her black stilettos were resting next to her along with her clutch bag and phone. She was wearing a sliver, glittery thin strapped dress that stopped around mid-thigh, and her nails were painted an light blue color and the crystals were shimmering in the street lights.

It was Olivia.

He jumped out of the vehicle and ran over to her, crouching down straight away to speak to her. He shook her shoulder and she lifted her head, and that was when he saw that glossy look in her eyes.

"Liv." He whispered, rubbing her shoulder. She blinked a couple times before focusing on him some more.

"El," she was still slurring, "I don't…I don't feel so good." She tilted her head back against the wall, and Elliot grew increasingly worried. His cop instincts were kicking in and the anxiety was creeping further into him. He took a moment to scan her appearance, but he didn't see anything that indicated she had been physically injured. Still, her demeanor was a little puzzling as she was so completely out of it. He knew Olivia could hold her liquor quite well and it actually worrying him how spaced out she was. He knew nothing was wrong; he had just talked to her earlier and she was perfectly happy and fine – he would've known if she wasn't. Maybe this was a case of having just gotten too drink happy. Either way, he was worried and he wasn't comfortable with just taking her home.

"Liv, come on; stand up." He quickly grabbed her shoes, phone, and purse before helping her to stand. The brunette was pretty much dead on her feet, her body slumping against him which caused him to wince in pain as he was pretty much having to hold her weight up so she wouldn't fall. He half dragged her to his car and opened the back door, before lifting her into the backseat so she could lay across the comfortable material of the seats. He then closed the door before hopping into the drivers' seat. He didn't want her to be alone, so he made up his mind then to take her back to his place in Queens. She could sleep in the guest room, and hell, he would just have to deal with the hell that Kathy was bound to raise.

He had to find Casey was well. Part of him was angry with her. Why had she left Olivia alone like this? He would deal with it later. Right now, his priority was Olivia.

* * *

The drive back to Queens was quick and before he knew it, he was pulling up in the driveway of his home. Once he parked, he grabbed her essentials before hopping out and going around to the backseat. He scooped her up into his arms and nudged the door to his Jeep shut. Olivia stirred slightly in his arms but remained in a deep slumber as she rest her head against his chest. He glanced down at her, before then walking up the concrete path that led to his front steps. He walked. Once on the porch, he maneuvered her into a standing position even though she was practically asleep. Her arm was hanging limply at her side, her head was resting on his shoulder; her whole body was pretty much slumped against him. He was still wondering if this was a case of being extremely drunk, but his gut feeling told him that this was something else.

He was fumbling with the keys when the door suddenly pulled open. He groaned inwardly when he noticed Kathy standing there with wide eyes and a look of concern on her face. He held his hand up before scooping Olivia up into his arms again, heading inside the home whilst Kathy held the door open for him. He quickly made his way to the guest room and dropped her shoes and other essentials to the floor, before then helping her into bed. He brushed the curls away from her face then tucked her in; she once again mumbled something inaudible before turning her head to the side and drifting off yet again.

He watched her for a bit; taking a deep breath before being distracted by her phone buzzing. He noticed that it was Casey calling, so he took the liberty of answering the phone;

"Stabler."

" _Elliot,"_ the confusion was evident in her voice as she whispered into the phone; _"Is Olivia okay? Why are you answering her phone?"_

"She called me and told me to come get her; she said you left with some mutual friend of yours." He snapped slightly, running his hand over his face. He looked at his watch; it was nearing three in the morning now and he was growing increasingly tired. Plus, he was a little ticked off with Casey for leaving Olivia like this as they normally looked out for each other.

" _Yeah; our old friend Nick,"_ Casey explained; _"He was at the club and asked if we wanted coffee, so I asked Olivia and she said she wanted to stay; she was talking to some guy and so I told her we'd be back shortly, but we got caught up talking and – it's a long story. Is she okay? I really didn't mean to leave her like this – you know I wouldn't do that, Elliot."_

"I think she's just had too much to drink; I got her," he sighed; "She's at mine,I'll make sure she's alright."

" _I'll be there as soon as I can get a cab."_

"Case, you just stay settled where you are, I'll stay here." He could tell by the volume of her voice she was somewhere with whoever this _Nick_ was; probably at his apartment or something – she was clearly being quiet for a reason.

" _I'll meet you guys at Liv's apartment in the morning; I promise."_ She assured him. Elliot told her to be safe then bid her goodnight, before hanging up the phone. He took another look at Olivia, simply taking in her features for a moment as he watched her sleep. He took a moment to drink in her appearance, and as guilty as he felt for simply staring at her, he couldn't seem to look away.

Olivia had that beautiful, olive skin tone that made her look like an exotic goddess throughout the year – something that her friends joked about, saying she had a constant tan that made her glow constantly. Her loose, curly locks had spilled back onto the pillow, the dark color of her hair contrasting perfectly against the soft white pillow she was laying her head on. She had curled up in a ball almost with the covers pulled up around her waist; a tanned arm was resting on top of the floral print comforter. Her plump lips were pouted slightly. Her breathing was slow and even. She just looked so peaceful – and so _beautiful._

So, so fucking _beautiful._

She stirred slightly and mumbled something, bringing Elliot from his thoughts. He turned to leave the room so he could go back across the hall to his own room, when he heard the softest voice mumbling so faintly, so delicately;

"Elliot."

He turned. Her eyes were half open, but still drooping as she was still out of it. He sat on the edge of the bed and brushed her hair out of her face whilst she turned onto her side so that she was facing him. Her eyes were still closed, and she would probably drift back off in a moment, but she knew that he was there.

"El…s…stay."

He swallowed. He didn't know what she meant by that. She was still quite out of it as her speech was still a little slurred; he was sure that she probably had absolutely no idea where she was at the moment. He brushed some more curls from her face before whispering;

"You're okay, Liv; I'm not going anywhere – I promise."

"Good," she mumbled, her eyes still closed, "Don't want you to go." Her voice was growing softer, a sign that she was drifting off again. Elliot swallowed at the words that escaped her mouth, but he tried not to read too much into them. They were just friends and she was drunk. Nothing more, nothing less. She was just in his guest room, sleeping off the effects of a night out. His wife was across the hall. This was totally innocent.

He rolled his eyes; he hated how he was trying to convince himself of so much.

Olivia had drifted back off, leaving Elliot to pull the soft blankets over her yet again, tucking her in. He then stood up and made his way out of the room, quietly closing the door behind scrubbed his hand up and down his face as he made his way across the hall and into his own room, closing the door behind him. Kathy was already in bed, curled up under the blankets. She wasn't saying anything; he knew by her breathing, however, that she was awake so she knew tha the had slipped into the room. Still, after the fight they'd had less than twenty-four hours earlier, he knew that she was probably feeling weird about having Olivia in their home, despite it being completely innocent. He knew he would probably have to face her wrath once the morning came, but right now, he wasn't in the mood for an argument at stupid o'clock in the morning. He stripped and changed into a pair of sweatpants, before climbing back into bed yet again.

But as he tried to close his eyes and drift off to sleep, his mind was on the brunette woman that was currently sleeping just across the hall.

* * *

 ** _Anddd that's another update. Of course, Elliot comes to Olivia's rescue right? You'll find out if she's okay in the next update. What about Kathy though? What do you think she's gonna say about Olivia being in their home? Leave some reviews and let me know what you guys thought! Until next time... xoxo_**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys!**

 **Soooo...this chapter was something I wasn't too sure about, but I think it's come out okay. It takes a turn, so be prepared. You might tear up a little bit, but...well...just read. You guys wanted to know what was going on with Olivia, and now, here we are.**

 **Warning: May contain triggering content!**

 **Enjoy guys xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 08**

The sounds of someone retching and groaning startled Elliot out of the sleep he had managed to slip into, causing him to wake with a bit of a fright and look around for a bit. Kathy wasn't beside him, but he figured she was downstairs somewhere. He rubbed his hand up and down his face and glanced at the clock on the bedside table; it was just after ten in the morning. He then pushed himself out of bed, yawning as he did so. He had only just pulled on a pair of joggers and a shirt when the retching sound could be heard again. With a concerned look on his face, he made his way to his bedroom door.

He followed the sounds to the hallway bathroom, in which the door was closed. He knew that Olivia was in there, and so he knocked on the door; "Liv, you okay?"

"I'm fine." She sounded out of breath almost; he winced when he heard her begin to vomit yet again. He turned the knob, but the door was lock, so he simply sighed yet again before speaking; "I'll be downstairs when you come out; I'll get you some ginger ale and stuff."

He didn't wait for a response; he simply made his way downstairs. No one was in the lounge, but when he turned to go into the kitchen, he spotted the kids at the table having cereal whilst Kathy was pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Morning." He greeted, capturing everyone's attention. The kids all smiled and greeted their father with waves and happy smiles whilst they continued eating, whilst Kathy gave a small smile before turning her attention back to her coffee. Elliot sighed slightly; he knew that she was itching to argue about Olivia, but she was refusing to do that in front of the children. There was an obvious tension hanging in the air; he knew the children felt it, he could see Kathleen and Dickie eyeing the two of them from where they were sitting at the table. He let out a sigh and simply greeted Kathy with a kiss on the cheek, before moving around her to get a cup of coffee.

"Liz, Dick; what time is Shane's mom coming to pick you guys up?" he wondered, looking over at them.

"Um," Lizzie looked at her watch before gulping down some juice, "Actually, she should be here any-" She was cut off by the landline phone ringing, to which Kathy picked up and answered. She chatted a bit to the person on the other end of the phone, before hanging up and looking over at the twins;

"Shane's mom is outside; go get your jackets and stuff – it's a little cooler out today." She told them. The twins raced out of the room and headed up the stairs; Elliot could hear them shouting _"Hey Olivia!"_ as they raced around. Elliot cleared their bowls and glasses away from the table and placed them in the sink before then sitting down on the seat Dickie had been previously occupying, giving a high five to Kathleen as he did so.

The twins soon raced back downstairs, and after bidding everyone farewell and kissing their parents goodbye, they raced out of the house to hop into the car, so they could spend the day with their friend. Kathleen started clearing the table of the remaining dishes while Kathy took Eli into her arms, so she could take him to the hallway bathroom and clean him up as he had managed to get his own food all over his face and hands. Elliot sat at the table, sipping a cup of coffee whilst reading the Sunday paper, when he was suddenly distracted by a small voice;

"Um…hi."

Both he and Kathleen looked up, spotting Olivia wandering into the kitchen. She was wearing a pair of baggy NYPD sweats and a t-shirt as well as a pair of slipper boots that belonged to Kathleen, and her wet hair was up in a top knot. Elliot was worried about her as her color was still a little off. He wanted to ask her about what happened last night, but he didn't want to bring it up in front of Kathleen.

"Hey yourself; you okay?" he wondered, watching as his daughter came over to greet the woman with a hug. Olivia simply shrugged, giving Kathleen a squeeze before letting go and sitting down at the table.

"I've had better days," she mumbled quietly, "Kathy's a saint for putting these in the guest room for me so I could change; I don't feel good at all." She looked up as Kathleen put a cup of coffee in front of her. She thanked the teenager in a small voice before taking a sip, humming as the warm liquid ran down her throat.

"You were pretty gone last night," Elliot raised an eyebrow, "Got carried away?"

"That's the thing; I don't remember getting carried away – I _don't_ get carried away." She mumbled, resting her chin on her palm. Elliot opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted when Kathy wandered back into the kitchen with Eli on her hip;

"Olivia, feeling okay? Never seen you so drunk before." There was a bite in her tone, and Elliot had to resist the urge not to say anything back.

"I'm fine." Olivia gave her signature response before sipping her coffee again.

"Shouldn't go out and drink so much, sweetheart," Kathy smirked before putting Eli onto the ground; "I'm actually about to head out, do you need a ride back into the city, Liv?"

Elliot watched as Olivia rolled her eyes before looking over her shoulder. He smirked to himself; his feisty best friend was in there somewhere and had obviously picked up on the snide behavior of Kathy.

"I'm fine Kathy; Casey's coming to get me."

"Suit yourself," Kathy shrugged and grabbed her bag; "See you guys later." She came around and gave Elliot a kiss on the lips, one that caught him off guard considering she had been so awkward with him all morning so far. However, he did know why she had done it, and it only pissed him off even further.

Kathy soon left the house; the only sound to be heard after the slam of the front door was that of Kathleen whom was still washing dishes at the sink and the quiet adorable sounds of Eli as he sat on Olivia's lap and played with his stuffed teddy bear. Olivia was sipping the coffee and hoping it would help her feel better soon, but she truly felt like death.

"Okay, so I have a date with cleaning my room – I'll be back." Kathleen announced once she finished the dishes. She leaned down and gave Olivia a kiss on the cheek and a fist bump to her father, before dashing off upstairs. Now, the two adults were left downstairs with little Eli, who was perfectly content with chatting to his teddy bear whilst sitting in his godmother's lap.

"So, what do you remember from last night?"

"I remember drinking, and I remember Casey telling me that she and Nick were going for a coffee; asked me if I wanted to go," she traced her finger around the rim of the mug; "I said I didn't want to because I was talking to this guy; I think his name was Mark; anyway, we were talking and then I don't remember much after that."

She then looked up; and Elliot knew from the look in her eyes that there was something else she was about to say. However, nothing could have prepared him for the words that slipped from her lips;

"El, I think something happened."

Elliot's eyes went wide as he watched her. Her brown eyes became filled with tears and her bottom lip trembled slightly. He had to take a moment to compose himself, her words were swirling around in his head. His best friend, his _Olivia,_ had possibly been assaulted. There was a mixture of emotions that were flowing through him, but he had to push them aside for now. Olivia needed him, and he needed to keep his composure for her. He quickly rushed around to crouch in front of her, holding onto her arms whilst she buried her face into Eli's curls.

"Liv, breathe, you're okay," he stroked his hand up and down her arm, "Did you see any bruises on you? Any soreness or anything like that?"

"Some on my hips and upper thighs and my waist, and I am sore," Olivia swallowed nervously, looking into his eyes; "Elliot, I don't want my co-workers to know this, but I want to get checked out."

"I'll take you to Flushing okay, and I will make sure that nobody else knows about this," he held onto her arms, "Livia, it's just for precaution – right?"

"I'm scared." She whimpered, tears slipping down her cheeks. He stroked her elbows with his thumb, swallowing the lump in his throat as he stared into her eyes.

"I'm here; I am right here." He spoke to her, keeping his voice gentle as he looked into her eyes. She sniffled slightly, looking down at him and nodding her head. Eli must have picked up on her somber mood because he turned in her arms before snuggling into her, wrapping his arms around her neck and burying his face into her shoulder whilst mumbling; "No cry, Livie."

"I won't cry buddy, I promise," she kissed the little boy on the head before looking at Elliot, "Can we go now?"

"Yeah; just let me tell Katie we have to go somewhere, and I'll have her watch Eli." He told her. He stood up and scooped Eli up into his arms before heading upstairs, leaving Olivia to sit at the table with her head in her hands along with a million thoughts rushing through her head.

* * *

A short while later, Olivia and Elliot were sitting in a room within the emergency room of the Flushing Hospital Medical Center; Olivia was curled up on a bed whilst Elliot was sitting in the chair beside her. He had called Casey to let her know what was happening, and Casey was on her way there as well. Olivia had explained her concerns when speaking to a nurse, and rather reluctantly, she had agreed to a rape kit. Elliot explained that the kit was to be given to the Manhattan Special Victims Unit, considering whatever the incident was had occurred in their jurisdiction.

"Do you wanna go report it after we leave here? I can take you home."

"Are Fin or Munch working? Or Rollins or your Captain?" she wondered, looking at him.

"Nah, everyone had the weekend off," he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, "You need to report it, Liv."

"If there's even anything to report."

"Liv, you have bruises and soreness and you don't remember it; whatever happened, you couldn't consent to it – that alone is something to report." He told her. She swallowed hard before simply sighing whilst she stared at him. She knew that he was right; there was something she had to report because clearly, something had happened and the fact that she couldn't remember a thing was saying something in itself.

The two were suddenly distracted by the doctor wandering into the room, telling them that she would be conducting the rape kit. Elliot stood up and indicated to Olivia that he would be in the waiting room as she had already told him she didn't want him to be in the room whilst the rape kit was being done. She nodded her head, giving his hand a squeeze before letting go. He gave her a supportive smile before then wandering out of the room, breathing out as he made his way towards the waiting room. Just as he was about to enter the empty area, he heard a familiar voice;

"Elliot!"

He turned, only to see Casey rushing towards him, dressed in a pair of joggers and a hoodie with sneakers on. He gave a small smile, but he couldn't help but feel a bit irritated at her for leaving Olivia alone last night.

"Is she okay?" Casey wondered.

"They're about to do the rape kit now; she told me earlier she didn't want me in there with her while that was going on." Elliot replied, sighing as he sat on one of the chairs. Casey plonked down a couple seats away from him, glancing at the ground.

"I shouldn't have left her alone," she spoke in a quiet voice, "Damn – I just…I was meant to go back but I just got-"

"One thing led to another; I know, you said that," Elliot glanced up at her, "Look, Liv needs us now; let's just focus on her right now."

Casey nodded, breathing out as she sat back in the chair. Elliot ran his hand down his face before tilting his head back against the wall, simply staring up at the ceiling whilst hoping that his best friend would be okay.

* * *

"Detective Stabler."

Elliot looked up, spotting the doctor that had been tending to Olivia walking in his direction. It had been a couple hours since they'd arrived; he'd been going sick with worry, praying to God that nothing happened to Olivia, nothing that he was thinking. Casey had sat silently with him, texting away on her phone with a small smile on her face, though she'd been trying to hide it as this was not the time to be smiling.

Both Elliot and Casey stood up, and Elliot quickly introduced Casey as he noticed the puzzled look on the doctor's face. She then nodded her head before looking at Elliot again;

"Miss Benson has bruising on her hips and thighs and her waist, and there's signs of vaginal tearing and bruising. I also asked her what happened, and she explained that she didn't remember much after having a drink with a guy. I took the liberty of running some tests as well; got some traces of GHB in her system."

"So, did the bastard rape her?" Elliot asked, feeling the anger rise within him. The doctor took a deep breath, folding her arms across his chest.

"You night have a date rape case on your hands," she had a solemn expression on her face, "This is to be sent to Manhattan Special Victims correct?"

"Yeah; happened in our jurisdiction," He ran his hand down his face, "Can we see her?"

"Yes." The Doctor nodded, before leading the two of them down the hall. Once they entered the room, Olivia was laying on her side with her back to them, and judging from how her shoulders were shaking, Elliot could tell that she was crying.

"H-hi Liv." Casey hesitantly spoke. Olivia looked over her shoulder and shot her friend a glare, before turning over again and focusing her gaze on the wall. Elliot and Casey exchanged a glance, before Elliot then went around so that he was in her line of sight whilst Casey sat over on the seat near the window. He sat down on the chair and leaned closer, stroking his hand up and down her arm.

"I am going to find the bastard that did this to you, and when I do, I will kill him myself." He told her. She swallowed, closing her eyes and allowing more tears to fall.

"Why'd this have to happen to me?" she whimpered.

"I don't know Olivia, but I'm gonna tell you what I tell victims and what you tell them when you see them in the hospital – it is not your fault, don't you dare start thinking it is," he stroked some hair behind her ear, "I'm gonna talk to my squad; we're gonna help you – I promise."

He then wiped the tears away with his thumb before kissing her forehead; "Trust me?"

"With everything in me." She whispered. He gave a soft smile.

"Good."

He then sat up as she moved to lay on her back. He watched as she looked over at Casey and spoke her name in a quiet voice, capturing the blonde's attention. She then rushed over and sat on the bed with her friend, pulling her into a warm embrace. Olivia wrapped her arms around her friend, sniffling quietly on her shoulder as she gripped her shirt. Elliot took a deep breath, watching the two before leaning his head back against the wall, trying to calm himself down from the anger that was threatening to spill out. The thought of anyone hurting Olivia made him feel sick, and he knew that he would not rest until he found the bastard that hurt her.

About half an hour later, Olivia was allowed to leave and go home. Casey went outside to get her car and pull it around to the exit, so they wouldn't have to walk far, whilst Elliot sat with Olivia whilst she signed some forms. Once she was finished, Elliot helped her to stand, before keeping his hand on the small of her back as they walked towards the exit. Casey had just pulled up in her car as they stepped outside, and Elliot took the liberty of opening the passenger side door so that she could slip into the seat.

"Do you have my phone on you or did we leave it at yours?" she wondered.

"Shit, we left it at mine," Elliot groaned, pausing for a second; "My car is just over across the lot, so just meet me at mine so you can get it."

Casey nodded her head whilst Olivia mouthed a quiet 'thank you' to him. Elliot closed the passenger door for her before jogging across the parking lot and slipping into his Jeep. He started the engine, before pulling out of the spot and driving off, looking in the rearview mirror as Casey followed closely behind him in his car.

The ride back to the Stabler family home gave Elliot time to think about what happened. If – well, _when_ – they caught the bastard that hurt Olivia, his worry was that it would end up being a case that went to trial, and that the blame would be on Olivia or they would try to claim it was rough sex; things he had seen one too many times with these cases and something he never wanted to see again. The fact that this had happened to his best friend was something that not only frightened him, but it angered him beyond belief. Olivia was one of the strongest, most collected people. He watched her in action at the hospital when she was tending to one of SVU's victims; she was always so compassionate and gentle with the victims. But then, he listened to her when she would talk to him afterward and he'd give her little updates on the case; he saw the fire in her eyes, the anger that flashed through her at the situation. Olivia Benson was strong and tough, so the fact that this had happened to her, and the fact that she looked broken now; it scared him and pissed him off.

God he couldn't wait to get his hands on the bastard that had done this, he was going to make him pay for what he had done to Olivia, if it was the last thing he ever did.

* * *

 ** _Dun dun! Well...here's chapter 8 guys. Leave some reviews please; thank you for everything. Until the next update...xoxo_**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone!**

 **I'm here with part 9. Olivia gives her statement to police, and we get some insight into what she's thinking about the incident...and about Elliot.**

 **WARNING: MAY CONTAIN TRIGGERING CONTENT. Please be careful.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 09**

The water raining down from the shower was scalding hot. Her skin was red from the water temperature and the scrubbing of her skin. Upon hearing her worst nightmare was confirmed, she'd felt dirty since then. She'd probably been in the shower for over an hour now; Casey was probably growing increasingly worried. But, she just felt so dirty, and though she couldn't even remember what happened really – it was still a blur – she just felt so fucking dirty.

Olivia was struggling – she didn't know what to do or think or even say really. She was a rape victim. A nurse who saw countless rape victims was now a _victim_ herself. She shuddered at the words. _Olivia Benson_ and _victim_ were two words that never went together. It wasn't supposed to be like this; she was strong. Why hadn't she fought back? Why did she let this happen? Why did she sit there and have drinks with a complete stranger?

" _Stop it Liv, you know better; don't blame yourself."_ She scolded herself; tears falling down her cheeks as she allowed the water from the shower to rain over her. She swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew better than to blame herself. It was something that Elliot always said he told victims, and something she told victims as well – it was never their fault, it was their rapist's fault.

But now that she was a victim herself, she was definitely blaming herself.

She stepped out of the shower and dried off before dressing quickly; pulling on a tank top and underwear and some more sweats. Upon returning home from Queens, she had hurried into her bedroom and into the en suite for another shower. Though she had showered that morning, Elliot had taken her dress from the night before as evidence in case her attacker's DNA was embedded in the material somehow. Olivia hoped it would be; she wanted this bastard off the streets, she wanted to feel safe.

She shut her eyes and shook her head from side to side. The night still was a complete blur. She so desperately wanted to remember, and she hoped to God that some details would come to her, especially as Elliot was coming over to hers with Fin so she could tell Fin what she remembered. Elliot was adamant about being with her while she gave her statement to Fin, and while she refused, he refused to take no for an answer and told her he had already spoken to Fin and told him he'd be meeting him at her apartment complex. Despite Olivia trying to keep up a strong front, she was secretly grateful that he would be there with her.

She sighed to herself before exiting the bathroom. She made her way out of her bedroom and through her apartment, finding Casey on the sofa with her legs curled under her. She looked up as Olivia approached, a small smile on her face though her eyes took on a somber appearance.

"How are you feeling?" she quietly asked. Olivia simply shrugged, flopping down onto the sofa and running her hand through her still damp hair.

"I don't even know how I feel."

Silence consumed them for a bit; Olivia didn't really have anything to say and Casey was unsure of what really to say because she actually felt guilty. She figured that maybe if she hadn't left Olivia alone, this wouldn't have happened.

"I'm really sorry for leaving, I shouldn't have left you al-"

"Casey, please," Olivia held her hand up, shaking her head, "Don't do that – it's not your fault, just stop."

Silence fell over them again; Olivia pulled her knees up and stared blankly at the television while Casey fiddled with her phone, figuring that it was best not to say anything else as her friend was suffering right now and lost in the clouds of confusion and self-doubt. She didn't want to risk pissing her off or anything, so she simply remained quiet.

About half an hour later, there was a knock at the door. Olivia jumped up to get it; checking the peephole first and breathing out when she saw that it was Elliot and Fin. She pulled the door open and stepped aside so that they could come in, before then closing it back and turning the locks. She gestured for them to sit wherever; Fin took a seat on the arm chair while Elliot sat down on the couch. Casey moved to sit over at one of the stools at the island counter, so Olivia took the spot on the sofa that she had previously been occupying. Fin pulled out his note pad, before focusing his gaze on Olivia.

"Liv are you sure you're up for this right now?" he asked. He had known Olivia for a few years now since joining the Manhattan Special Victims Unit and becoming Elliot's partner, and he almost saw her as a little sister of sorts. He too was having to keep his rage under control for her sake, but he also couldn't wait to find the prick that did this to Olivia. God, he wanted to kill someone for her, and he could only imagine how Elliot was feeling.

"I want to do this," she breathed out, "I just…I wanna get this over with."

Fin nodded his head, rubbing his hand over his jaw before looking towards Elliot. Elliot looked over at Olivia, who was fiddling with her fingers. He gently rubbed her shoulder in an encouraging manner, offering a smile of support. She gave a small smile, before looking at Fin again. Fin too gave her a supportive smile before speaking;

"Okay Liv; start at the beginning of the night."

Olivia nodded; "Me and Casey were at the _Aqua_ nightclub on fifty-fourth street; it was packed last night; loads of people were everywhere – we got in for free because the bouncer is friends with Casey's cousin."

"Okay; what else do you remember?"

"I remember we managed to get a nice table and the drinks were flowing; not enough to get us drunk, but we were just having a good time; our friend Nick joined us later," she took a moment to elaborate; "You might know him? Nick Amaro – works in Narcotics?"

"I know him," Fin nodded as he scribbled some information down, "Okay, what happened after Nick came over? Was anyone with him or?"

"No, he was on his own," Olivia closed her eyes for a bit, piecing together the events of the evening, "We were talking, the three of us, and then this guy came up behind me – he tapped me on the shoulder."

"You get his name?" Fin asked.

"Mmm…" Olivia thought for a second, before nodding as the person's name came to her again; "I think his name was either Mark or Mike; I don't remember." She swallowed, a defeated look coming across her face as her gaze shifted to the floor. Elliot scooted a little closer to her, resting his hand on her back.

"Okay, it's okay sweetheart," he whispered; "What happened next?"

"We were talking, and he offered to buy me a drink and I accepted. Casey and Nick were dancing, and so me and him went to the bar. We were just talking while sipping our drinks, and I looked away for a minute to see if I could spot Casey, just to make sure she was okay and stuff…" she trailed off, her bottom lip trembling slightly as tears welled in her eyes; "I'm so stupid."

"Hey, don't do that," Casey stood up from the stool, leaning over the back of the sofa to wrap her arms around her friend, "Remember – don't blame yourself; this isn't your fault."

"She's right, Liv; this isn't your fault and you know it, so don't say that," Fin gently told her, "What happened next?"

"Uhh," Olivia sniffled a bit and swallowed the lump in her throat, "I remember Casey and Nick coming to tell me they were going to get a coffee and asking if I wanted to go, but I said no because I was enjoying talking to the guy. I remember them leaving, and I turned back to talk to him again; and then it starts to get a little fuzzy." She rubbed her hand over her forehead, closing her eyes as a couple more tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Tell us what you can remember, Liv," Elliot rubbed her back gently, "I'm here, don't worry."

"I vaguely remember feeling a little weird, and he suggested we go get some air. We went outside, but there wasn't anyone else around. I can remember feeling the brick wall behind me, and his hand on my waist, but…nothing else after that." She blinked as a couple more tears slipped down her cheek; Elliot was still rubbing her back in a comforting manner.

"You don't remember consenting to anything?" Fin asked. Olivia shook her head, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat once again. Fin nodded, breathing out. Elliot knew that Fin was trying to keep his own rage at bay, but he too was ready to go find this prick and strangle him for what he had done to Olivia.

"Do you remember anything about him, Liv? What he looked like or what he smelled like? Anything distinctive? Elliot asked, keeping his voice calm and quiet.

"Uhh," Olivia paused for a moment, wracking her brain, desperate to remember anything, "He was white with gray eyes and brown hair; he a scar on his neck, and there was a tattoo of something on his chest, I could see the top of it from where he had a couple buttons undone on his shirt. He smelled like _Old Spice_."

"This is good that you remembered that, Liv;" Fin closed his notepad, "Tomorrow, would you want to come down to the precinct to talk to a sketch artist? Maybe we can get his sketch out?"

Olivia nodded her head; Elliot hated how small and vulnerable she looked, but her bravery was still shining through and he was proud of her. He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head, before letting go and standing up along with Fin. She watched as the two men spoke quietly to each other, then Fin gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek, whispering to her that they would _find the bastard_ before leaving out of the apartment. Elliot remained sitting on the sofa whilst Olivia stood up to get herself a glass of water. Casey announced that she was retreating to the guest room, and after giving Olivia a supportive hug, she headed off into the comfortable room and closed the door behind her. Olivia and Elliot were left alone in the living room; Olivia felt fragile and Elliot was just trying to make sense of all this.

"I'm sorry I screwed up, El." She whispered as she sat beside him again. Elliot turned to her, shaking his head as he grabbed hold of her tiny hand.

"Olivia, you didn't screw up, don't say that," he spoke in a gentle voice, staring into her eyes, "This is not on you, this is on the bastard that raped you; and when I get my hands on him, there will be no need for at trial at all." Olivia could see the anger in his eyes, and it almost frightened her how he cared so much.

"Thanks for coming over for me, I appreciate it," she quietly spoke, pulling her hand out of his grasp, "Go home, El."

"I'm staying here until I know my best friend is okay." Elliot argued. Olivia shook her head, holding her hand up.

"Casey's here, El; I'll be fine," she put her hand on his shoulder, "Go home to your family, and tell Katie that I love her, and I will get back to her soon, but that I need a little time right now."

"Liv-"

"Elliot, I mean it," she stood up, "Go home."

Elliot watched her for a second, before nodding her head as he stood up. He pulled her into a hug; she clung to him and closed her eyes, trying as hard as she could to stop the tears from slipping down her cheeks again.

"I'm just glad you're okay," he pulled away, holding onto her arms, "Call or text me; I don't care what time it is – you need anything, even if you can't sleep or you've had a nightmare, just shoot me a text or call me; you're not going through this alone."

"That means more to me than you'll ever know, El." She whispered, wrapping her arms around herself.

She walked Elliot to the door and bid him farewell, before then closing and locking the door behind him. She sighed a bit and grabbed her glass of water, before retreating to her own bedroom and closing the door. She put the glass on the bedside table before flopping down onto the bed, burying her face into the pillows as the tears finally slipped down her cheeks.

She just wanted to be okay and wanted this all to be over, and a small part of her just wished that a certain blue-eyed detective was here, holding her in his strong arms, and making her feel safe.

* * *

Olivia ended up falling asleep while laying across her bed, it seeming that the events of the day had worn her out and left her exhausted. Her sleep was dreamless, but she woke up abruptly to the sound of thunder crashing loudly which rattled her windows. The sky was dark for the most part due to the dark clouds that had invaded the skies, the rain was pouring and splattering against the windows. Olivia sighed out, realizing that she probably wouldn't go back to sleep now, so she pulled herself out of bed and grabbed hold of her phone. She had a text from Kathleen, telling her that she hoped she was better soon, and one from Elliot whom had just been checking in on her. She really did appreciate their concern, especially Elliot's, though sometimes, his concern frightened her a little bit.

She sighed and maneuvered her way through the apartment. The door to her guest room was ajar, so she poked her head in, though there was no sign of Casey. She moved to the front part of the apartment, looking around the room before focusing her gaze on a note that was on her counter. She picked it up and glanced over it; it was from Casey, telling her that she had gone to pick up their dinner and would be back soon. She put the note back down before sitting down on the sofa, though she refrained from turning on the television. She wanted to take advantage of the silence; the silence allowed her to think.

It would take a while to come to terms with the fact she was a rape victim. Giving her statement to Fin earlier had made things seem a little too real and she almost felt sick. Someone had really taken advantage of her and now she was left feeling confused and broken almost. God, she almost hated herself. She should've just went to the coffee shop with Casey and Nick and none of this would have ever happened.

She was grateful thought that she had Fin on her case, and Elliot too even though he obviously wouldn't be working it. There was no one else she trusted more than the two of them – hell, the whole Manhattan Special Victims Squad were people she trusted; she had met them enough times over the years, they all looked out for each other and due to her being one of the nurses they often encountered when they came to the hospital – and due to the fact that she was Elliot's best friend – they all told her that they would look out for her too. She was glad they were gonna handle her case, and she knew that Elliot wouldn't let anyone rest until they had it all sorted out.

 _Elliot._ Olivia couldn't help but think about Elliot and his concern when it came to her. He had really gone out of his way to come into the city in the early hours of the morning just to get her when she called him, and he had taken her all the way back to his house to make sure she was alright. She remembered the look on his face when Kathy was making the snide comments about her seemingly hungover state this morning, and how Elliot's jaw had tensed as he eyed them both. She remembered the soothing way that Elliot rubbed her arm as she told him about her fears of something happening to her, or the way he sat with her at the hospital until the nurses came in to do the rape kit, or even the way he remained at the hospital until she was all sorted and the way he had been adamant about being by her side when she gave her statement. All of these little things were rushing to the front of her mind and making her think, and the thoughts were frightening her.

Part of her was starting to wonder if Casey was right about Elliot's feelings towards her. The blonde had been telling her for years now about Elliot's feelings towards her, but Olivia always brushed her off and insisted that she and Elliot were best friends and that he was very much married and devoted to his wife and family. Olivia told herself that she and Elliot were nothing more than friends, that all he ever felt towards her was relating to their friendship. They were close, they connected through various life experiences, they talked about everything, but they were simply best friends. However, her subconscious could always be heard in the back of her head, telling her that Elliot's feelings went beyond friendship, and that scared her.

She sighed to herself, resting her head against the back of the sofa. As much as she hated to admit it, she wished Elliot was there with him. She wanted him to hold her and tell her that everything would be okay. He was the only person she would truly feel completely safe with.

She hated to admit, but she wanted him right now. And she couldn't fucking have him.

* * *

 ** _I hope you all enjoyed this part. I know this story is moving a little slowly, but I'm glad you're all sticking with me. Thank you, and please leave your reviews. Until next time xoxo_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm back with a new update finally! Sorry guys, been having wifi troubles, but I'm back and ready to post more for you guys. I present to you chapter 10, and I hope you all like it!**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 10**

A night of sleep was all Olivia Benson wanted, and she hadn't gotten any of it – and that sucked.

She was grateful that even though today was Monday, she was off from work. The previous night – following a nice Chinese take out dinner with Casey followed by a random chick flick – she had tried to go to sleep as she didn't want to spend the whole of Monday sleeping. Well, sleep hadn't come easily. She had gotten a couple hours here and there, but she had woken up several times in a cold sweat, nightmares of being assaulted yet again plaguing her mind and leaving her gasping for air. She had thought about calling Elliot a couple times but decided against it – even though he was the one who told her to call him if she needed him. She wasn't gonna drag him into this mess. He had his own family to worry about; he didn't need to be bothered with her troubles.

She glanced over at the clock; it was just after nine in the morning. The clouds that had plagued New York City the day before was now replaced with clear blue skies and sunshine, which was streaming through the small gap in the curtains and casting light onto Olivia's bed. She decided that there was no point in trying to sleep again as she was going down to the precinct soon, so she simply pulled herself out of bed and made her way into the en suite for a shower, hoping that the warm water would help her to wake up a little more as she felt quite tired.

After her shower, she towel-dried her hair and tied it back into a bun then wrapped up in a towel before heading back into her bedroom. She got dressed in some joggers and a t-shirt, before then making her way out of the bedroom. She poked her head into the guest room, only to find Casey still snuggled under the blankets, fast asleep. Sighing to herself, she maneuvered through the apartment, slowly making her way into the kitchen. She wasn't hungry at the moment, so she simply grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator before moving into the lounge, where she sat on the sofa and curled her legs under her.

About half an hour later, she found herself being engrossed in a classic episode of _I Love Lucy,_ only to have her attention captured by her phone buzzing on the arm of the sofa. She picked it up and pressed the _Home_ button on the device, before putting her code in to unlock so she could read the message from _'Elliot'._

 _'Elliot: 9:42am – Let me up?'_

A confused frown came across her face straight away. Elliot was outside her apartment building? What was he doing outside – besides pissing off Kathy even more no doubt? She hurried over to the window and peeled back the curtains, seeing his Jeep parked along the street and him leaning against it with the phone in his hand. She focused her attention back to her phone, her fingers dancing across the screen as she replied;

 _'9:43am – Buzzing you in right now'_

She hurried over to the buzzer, pressing the button for the doors to unlock. She then leaned against the wall, waiting some minutes before she heard the familiar knocks at the door. She tugged it open, smiling slightly, only for the small smile to fade when she saw the look on his face.

He was _pissed._

"Morning." She greeted slowly as he made his way inside. She closed the door and locked it back, before nodding her head at the sofa; "Make yourself at home. Want some coffee or water or juice?"

"Nah, I'm good." He grumbled, running his hand over his jaw. Olivia nodded before sitting beside him. She watched the way he rested his elbow on his knee and his leg bobbed up and down. She hesitantly placed her hand on his shoulder;

"El, what's the matter?"

He said one word, the bitterness being heard in his tone; "Kathy."

Olivia raised an eyebrow; "What happened, Elliot? Did you guys have a fight?"

"Olivia last night was the first time I have _ever_ come close to hitting her," Elliot breathed out, putting his head in his hands, "I never have wanted to be like my Dad, but I swear to you, Liv; I had to go out and drive around just to calm down because I was about to hit her."

"Elliot, you will never be like your father and you know that," Olivia rubbed his shoulder, "Talk to me, El; I'm right here."

There were a few moments of silence; Elliot was taking some deep breaths; the tension was radiating off him and Olivia could feel it. She continued rubbing his shoulder, swallowing nervously. She had seen Elliot angry before, but this was different – on a new level. He was furious still to the point where there were tears brimming in his eyes, and she just wanted him to calm down. His leg was still bobbing up and down and one of his hands was clenched into a fist as if he was about to hit something. She rested her head on his shoulder, keeping one arm around him still as she rubbed his shoulder whilst the other hand began rubbing his arm. She could feel him relaxing a bit; she continued to whisper to him that it was just the two of them and that everything was okay, and that she needed him to calm down.

After a few moments, he breathed out. She felt him relax a bit more and she lifted her head, simply looking at him for a bit.

"What happened?" she quietly asked.

"She…fuck…" he breathed out again;

"When I got back to Queens after leaving here, she was home again. Kathleen told her that I was getting you checked out, but apparently that wasn't a good enough explanation. I knew something was up, I could just feel the tension, but I'm glad she waited until Kathleen and Eli were out of the room before she started. She asked where we had gone; I told her I couldn't tell her. She asked why I had to come into the city to check on you; I told her I just came for support. That turned into a huge fight about how everything's about you, how I don't support her in anything, how I drop everything for you and never her. That's not true obviously; how much shit have I dropped in a heartbeat for Kathy? Even you know that. I called her on that; told her that of course I'm here for you because you've been my best friend for years now. It was just constant nitpicking about you, snide comments about you, I already lost it when she called you every name she could think of, but God Liv, the comment about being like my father…fuck…I really fucking lost it, Olivia."

"Like your father?" Olivia gave a raised eyebrow.

"My Dad used to cheat on Mom with nurses; constantly," Elliot took a deep breath, "Kathy said I was just like him in that respect, cheating on her with only one nurse, and that nothing she did was good enough for me and that I was nothing but a selfish pig, just like my father."

He shook his head, running his hand down his face.

"I fucking lost it, Olivia; as soon as she said it, I whirled around and all I could see was red, but for some reason I could hear your voice, telling me to calm down. I stood there and stared at her for a second, then I just grabbed my keys and left. By the time I got back home, she was asleep, so I slept on the couch. This morning, she accused me of coming out here to see you, or in her words; I went out to _fuck Olivia to calm down_ , and I just left the house. I'm fucking sick of having to defend myself – just constant accusations now and I'm sick of it. Kathleen even jumped in this morning and told her to shut up, to stop accusing me of things because we all know I would never, and that _you_ would never. I'm just tired, Liv; I'm so tired and I almost don't want to go back home but I can't leave Kathleen and Eli and the twins, but I can't do this anymore."

Olivia listened intently, her heart breaking at the pain that could be heard in her best friend's voice. She was worried about him. She knew how Elliot could get if things got too much for him to handle, and it was clear that he was reaching that point. Elliot was bound to fly into a rage, and that would do even more damage. She was glad he managed to stop himself before assaulting his wife, especially as that wasn't in his nature, but that didn't stop her from being any less worried about him or his state of mind.

"El, you know, and I know what's real, we know the boundaries of our friendship," she spoke quietly to him, rubbing his shoulder again; "If she's constantly accusing you, then…does she have something to hide? Do you want me to have a word with her?"

"No, no don't," he shook his head, holding his head in his hands; "I would hope she doesn't have shit to hide, but I don't even know; I'm just done, Liv; I can't do it anymore."

"Elliot-"

"Please don't try to tell me to hold on, Olivia; our marriage has been dead a long time, I've just been playing happy families for the sake of Eli really, that's the only reason I went home, you and I both know it," He stood up abruptly, running his hand over his head as he made his way to the kitchen area, "If I hadn't slipped up, I could've been divorced and with someone a million times better."

"Elliot," Olivia walked up to him, where he was leaning against the counter and sipping a bottle of water, "Calm down. Look, just take some breaths and hang out here today, let things cool off; then go home and talk to her – and actually talk, not let your temper get the best of you."

"I would talk to her if she would talk to me," Elliot took another swig of water, "I just…Liv you know I don't normally give up, but this shit is ridiculous."

"You were miserable when you guys separated before, El." Olivia pointed out as she hopped up onto the counter to sit.

"Because I was confused and struggling, considering she left me without warning," he shrugged; "Now though, I know I'll be fine because I know that I can't do this. I love my kids, Liv; God – I love them so much, but me and Kathy were never meant to last forever, I know we weren't."

"El-"

"We got married because of Maureen being on the way for God's sake," he sighed, shaking his head, "I loved Kathy, don't get me wrong, but we literally had no time to get to know each other or be friends, none of that, because I got her pregnant and I had to marry her – it was always an obligation, Liv."

Olivia pursed her lips, looking up at the painful look in her friends' eyes. She had always wondered what it was like for Elliot, having to get married so young and take care of a family, to take on more responsibility than a seventeen-year-old should have to do. She knew that it had been a struggle sometimes, but hearing him say all of this now, it broke her heart because it was clear that he had been battling these feelings for years, and now it was all coming to the light.

"You stayed though, El; and had four more beautiful children with her; you love her."

"I _loved_ her," Elliot shrugged as he leaned back against the counter, "I did love her, I loved her still when I had our first four, but it's different now – I haven't been in love with her for a while, it's just taken me until now to realize it. The night that resulted in Eli; I went back to her out of desperation after a tough case at work. I don't regret Eli; I love him with all my heart, but I swear this marriage is over – it's been a game of trying for the kids, but it's over."

"You don't mean that, Elliot; you're just angry," Olivia tilted her head as she looked at him, "Do you want me to talk to her? She hates me, that's obvious, but I don't want you guys to throw away your marriage and stuff after a fight."

"You've always fought to save my marriage even when I wanted to throw in the towel," he sighed, lifting his gaze from the floor to look up at her, "Just…don't this time. I'm gonna take you to the precinct and bring you back, then afterwards, I'll go home and figure out how to do this – but I just can't deal with this anymore; I'm over it, Liv; over it."

Olivia paused for a second, swallowing before looking up at him. She knew Elliot too well, and when Elliot was serious about something, there was no talking him out of it. She really knew that there was no point in talking him into holding onto his marriage, as she had known for a little while now that he wasn't happy, even though he hadn't said it out loud. However, she knew him too well and could tell when he wasn't happy, so of course, she wouldn't even try to talk him out of it. She cared about him too much, and what kind of friend would she be if she continuously tried to talk him into staying within a situation that was making him unhappy?

"You know I'll support you in whatever you want to do, you know that," she hopped down from the counter and stepped closer, placing her hands on his biceps, "I got your back."

"I know you do, and I got yours too," he pulled her into a hug, kissing the crown of her head before mumbling against her forehead, "I got your back, so when I catch the son of a bitch that hurt you, I'll kill him myself."

She smiled slightly, squeezing him as they shared their warm embrace. She closed her eyes and breathed in the calming scent of his aftershave. She felt truly safe in his arms, and honestly, she wished that could stay wrapped up in this embrace forever.

Elliot Stabler was truly her safety net.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Elliot was leading Olivia into the vast squad room of the Special Victims Unit of Manhattan. Her nerves had returned during the ride over; she hated that she would have to think about her attacker yet again – as if she wasn't already thinking about him enough. She was just glad Elliot had come to the precinct with her, as there was no way she would be able to cope with this without him. He was her best friend in the world, and she was truly grateful for him.

She watched as a few unis and other officers greeted Elliot with handshakes and praise as he really was a hero around the unit. He greeted his fellow detectives – Amanda Rollins and Fin, as well as their Sergeant, Munch. He gave a wave to his captain, before he and Olivia then followed Fin into the conference room, where a sketch artist that they often worked with was waiting patiently. Fin introduced them to the man named Vince, whom was going to be drawing the sketch based on Olivia's description. He then made his way back to his desk, while Elliot told Olivia that he had to get a few files from his own desk to do some paperwork at home, and that he was going to speak to his captain for a bit. Olivia nodded and told him she'd be alright, leading him to smile slightly as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Okay Olivia, so…just tell me whatever you can remember about him, anything, and I'll try my best to get a sketch that closely resembles him? That cool?" Vince smiled at her. Olivia nodded, breathing out. Vince picked up his pencil and paper, before giving her a head nod so she could start.

She did as best she could with the sketch artist; she gave him the exact details she gave to Fin the previous day – the fact that it was a Caucasian male with brown hair and grey eyes, and a scar on his neck and a tattoo on his chest. She wracked her brain and managed to find a few other minor details that would help with the sketch such as his eye shape, what his lips looked like, and the size of his nose, and she was able to estimate his height as he seemed to be just a few inches taller than her as she was wearing heels. She spoke with the sketch artist for about half an hour, just to work out a few minor details before the session was complete. When the artist flipped the picture around to show her, she nearly jumped out of her seat as she felt the bile rise her throat.

The sketch artist had done a pretty damn good job of her attacker; it was definitely him.

After confirming that it was indeed the attacker, Vince then knocked on the two-way glass to signal for Captain Cragen, whom was on the other side. The side door opened, and the Captain poked his head in, thanking Vince with a handshake before greeting Olivia with a handshake as well. Olivia was pretty well known around the precinct due to her and Elliot being so close, and over the years, everyone that had worked with Elliot for a long time had grown to know and love the young woman.

"We'll find this son of a bitch, Olivia, I promise – we will get this sketch out today." He assured her.

"Thank you, sir; I really appreciate it." She nodded. Cragen gave her a smile and a pat on the shoulder, before turning to Elliot, whom had come through the door as well. He gave him a handshake and pat on the back – and told him to utilize the time off – before bidding both him and Olivia a farewell. Elliot placed his hand on the small of Olivia's back and guided her out of the room. Fin decided to walk them out as he had recently discovered something and wanted to keep both Elliot and Olivia in the loop, even if he wasn't supposed to. They decided to take the stairs down, and once they reached the ground floor, they stepped outside.

"I know you didn't walk me and Liv out just for to make sure we were safe," Elliot joked as he folded his arms across his chest; "Got something to tell me?"

"I think I do, and I need to go back and brief the others so don't say shit, especially since I'm not supposed to tell you since you aren't working," Fin warned before continuing, "The results from the rape kit came and with the information Liv gave us, I did some cross referencing; we've got two cold cases with the same MO, same mention of a tattoo on the chest, but they weren't able to remember his face."

"We've got two open cases with the same thing?" Elliot asked with a raised eyebrow.

"From last year, but we ran out of leads and the cases ran cold," Fin shoved his hands into his pockets, "I'm just saying, man; we get that sketch out, somebody might know something."

"So, you're saying I might have a hand in getting a slime bag off the streets?" Olivia quietly asked, capturing their attention.

"You might, baby girl," Fin looped an arm around her shoulders; "Listen, you just get home; we got this. He fucked with you, which means I'm bustin' his ass."

Olivia was forced to giggle a bit as she gave Fin a warm hug, whispering a thank you before letting go. Fin and Elliot then shared a one arm hug, then Fin headed back inside while Elliot and Olivia made their way across the street to his Jeep. He opened the passenger door for her to slip inside, then went around to slip into the driver's side of the vehicle.

"Wanna go back to yours or do you want something to eat?" he asked. She shook her head, looking over at him.

"Take me home, then you go home and talk to Kathy." She told him. He opened his mouth to protest, but she gave him a stern look with her eyes. He sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Liv, nothing's gonna change my decision," he flicked the key, starting the engine, "I'm done."

"Elliot, just go talk to her." She groaned, a light chuckle escaping her lips. Elliot simply sighed before pulling onto the road. Both he and Olivia were deep in thought; Olivia was thinking about the conversation she'd had with Elliot and how he was adamant about leaving his marriage. She wondered what would happen if he really did leave his marriage to Kathy; if he would cope as well as he said he would.

Or would he give into what had been brewing between the two of them for years? Would they finally cross the boundary – or would they remain friends? She shuddered slightly at the thought, because as much as it excited her, it frightened her.

* * *

 ** _Well well here we are. So what do you guys think? Will Elliot actually leave his marriage for good this time? And Olivia's attacker - linked to other attacks? What is going on? Leave some reviews my friends. Until next time...xoxo_**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm back with chapter 11 now. I've jumped to a week later; Olivia back into work and so is her favorite blonde, as well as her favorite detective. But of course, blondie just can't let things rest - can she? Just read guys.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 11**

 _ **One Week Later**_

Olivia walked through the side entrance of the Mercy General Hospital Emergency Room. She greeted the janitor with a head nod as she did every time she saw him, before continuing down the hallway towards the emergency room. She tilted the tall, paper coffee cup to her lips as she took a sip. She needed all the caffeine possible today as she felt so tired, the lack of sleep was now starting to catch up with her.

It had been just a little over a week since her attack. She hadn't taken the advice of Elliot or Casey when they told her to take a few extra days off from work; she had dived straight back into work when it was time for her to go back after her few days off. The fast-paced nature of her days at work allowed room for distraction from her thoughts; she could get through the day and be absolutely fine. However, it was during the quiet nights at home that she struggled the most. Every noise made her jump, she was having nightmares and the flashbacks were starting. She hadn't told Casey, and she especially hadn't told Elliot.

She knew that Elliot too had been dealing with a lot over the last week. He and Kathy were fighting more than normal; he had called her a couple nights and vented to her about how frustrated he was with Kathy not listening to him and practically picking a fight with him all the time instead of admitting that she too was unhappy with the marriage. Olivia knew that he was only at home until he figured out where to stay and got things sorted out with the remaining kids in the home, but she was worried about him and his temper. She knew that he would never raise his hand to Kathy or their kids, but she also knew that once he got mad enough, his fist would end up through a wall and that was something that didn't need to happen.

Olivia sighed as she rounded the corner and entered the emergency room. She paused briefly as she spotted Kathy sitting at the nurses' station, dressed in her scrubs and having a chat with one of the other nurses. She saw Casey at the far end of the desk, and so she made her way over and gave her a head nod as she looked up.

"Morning Liv," Casey greeted as she stood up, her voice dropping to a mumble that only Olivia could hear; "Thank God you're here; I was ready to blow my brains out because of her."

"Casey." Olivia warned with a raised eyebrow. The two girls walked towards the lounge where their lockers were so Olivia could put her things down. Casey sweetly held the coffee cup, while Olivia put her jacket and bag into the locker before she then slipped the name badge over her head to hang around her neck. She looped pale blue stethoscope around her neck before then taking her cup from Casey again.

"I thought Kathy was gonna be out for another week." She remarked, leaning against the lockers.

"I thought so too, but apparently Elliot urged her to go to work today and she didn't object," Casey rolled her eyes, "She's just been going on and on, telling Lisa about how she and Elliot's marriage is done and how she's sick of fighting with him-"

"She's the one who starts the fights though and they're all about me." Olivia pointed out.

"Me and you know that, but nobody else does," Casey rolled her eyes, "She didn't have the balls to mention your name though because I was sitting there, and she knows I'll kill her."

"I'm just not in the mood for her shit, so she better not say a damn thing to me today." Olivia replied with a roll of her eyes. She and Casey then exited the lounge and made their way back to the desk to sit down; Olivia could feel Kathy's burning gaze on her, leading her to roll her eyes before she then turned her head in the direction of the woman. The blonde looked away quickly and tended to her work while Olivia continued to glare at her for a short while longer. She then rolled her eyes and sat herself down across from Casey, a yawn escaping her lips. It was only seven in the morning, and she was just praying to God that this twelve-hour shift would go by quickly because she was so tired. This was her fifth day in a row now and she just wanted to sleep now.

"You okay, Liv?" Casey asked. Olivia simply nodded, taking another sip of her coffee, sighing as she did so.

The next few hours passed quickly; the pace of the emergency room picked up as the hours went on. New York City was truly a city that never seemed to sleep; they dealt with some trauma victims from an accident in Manhattan, dealt with a couple shooting victims, had a few patients come in with bad colds and a few that came in for other minor things. Whatever the cases that came in, it was enough to keep the staff busy, which kept Olivia's mind occupied and didn't allow any room for her to think about what had happened to her.

It was nearing twelve-thirty when her attention was grabbed by the paramedics coming in again. The other nurses were busy with other patients, so she greeted the paramedics whom were bringing in a young girl on a stretcher. She looked to be out of it; her eyes were closed and there was a breathing mask on her face while she groaned and moved her head from side to side. Accompanying the paramedics was Detective Amanda Rollins – the blonde detective that worked with Elliot; Olivia had already met her a few times.

She approached the medics and the detective and asked what happened, to which the paramedics explained that they had gotten the call from a concerned neighbor who had entered the apartment to check in and found her passed out on the floor with her panties around her ankles. Olivia swallowed; she knew what that meant, and as much as she wanted to hand this off to someone else, she knew she had to be the one to take the initiative here and work with this victim. They helped to get her sorted on the bed behind the curtain, and after making sure she was settled and covered up and that her vitals were stable, Olivia then went to get the tools for the rape kit. She took some deep breaths as she collected the things needed; she hated that she would be one to possibly retraumatize this woman, but it had to be done.

She rounded the corner to go back to the woman, when she was stopped by Amanda; "Liv, you doing okay?" She was giving her a knowing look, but Olivia simply nodded and smiled.

"I'm okay, promise," she assured her before continuing; "Working on your own or?"

"Nah, he should be on-"

"Rollins!"

Both women looked up; Olivia's eyes went wide as she saw Elliot coming towards them. She couldn't stop the small smile from breaking onto her face, but she also felt anxious as she knew Kathy was around here somewhere and the last thing she needed was for Kathy to start assuming shit.

She eyed him. He looked handsome in his black slacks and blue shirt with the red tie, and his shiny black shoes and black suit jacket. His blue eyes were glimmering in the lights. He just looked so incredibly handsome and Olivia almost wanted to curse herself for staring at him in this way.

"Liv," he smiled straight away when he noticed her; "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," she nodded at him; "What are you doing here? You're back at work?"

"My arm is fine, and I was going crazy at home, so I'm back to work – we're short staffed and I'm fine so Cragen didn't argue." He explained. Olivia nodded, nudging him as she moved past him.

"Glad you're back to work, Detective Stabler," she then held up the rape kit supplies, "I'll come get you guys when I'm finished." She then rushed off to tend to the patient, all the while trying to calm herself down. Her heart had started going crazy when Elliot's blue eyes poured into hers and he spoke to her; a reaction that hadn't happened before, and one that frightened her.

A couple hours later, Olivia was finally leaving the room where she had been with the patient, whom was now resting comfortably. While conducting the rape kit, she had asked the necessary questions and helped the victim to remain calm, and even gave her some comforting words in a bid to make sure she didn't blame herself. It was comical almost; here she was telling someone not to blame themselves for what happened, yet she was doing just that. She let out a sigh as she rounded the corner, though she only spotted Amanda in the waiting room. She frowned in confusion, looking around as she approached the blonde woman.

"Hey," She greeted the woman; "Where's Elliot?"

"Over there with his wife." Amanda nodded her head in the direction of the far window as she took the bagged evidence kit from Olivia. Olivia glanced in the direction that Amanda had gestured towards, sighing as she saw what looked like a very tense conversation happening between Elliot and Kathy. She shook her head in despair before gesturing for Amanda to follow her to the patient's room. She watched as Elliot looked over and signaled for Amanda to go ahead, then he met her gaze and gave her a head nod. She simply nodded in return before leading Amanda down the hall.

Meanwhile, near the window stood the tense couple; one of which who had once again started an argument and the other whom was sick to death of arguing constantly. Elliot stood with his arms folded, a frown on his lips as his wife went on and on. Now, she was angry about the fact he hadn't told her that he was going back to work today, and she argued that he was only back to work, so he could have an excuse to come to the hospital and see Olivia.

"It's just always back to her," Kathy was glaring at her, "Since when did you decide that you were going back to work anyway?"

"Since my arm fucking felt better and my captain needed some extra hands; I can at least interview victims," Elliot rolled his eyes yet again; "This is nothing to fucking do with Olivia, so stop bringing her into this; of course, I'm gonna run into her here, she fucking works here. Can we just not do this? I'm trying to work."

"I feel like your captain should've kept you on desk duty, so you wouldn't have to leave the precinct." Kathy scoffed, glancing back towards the nurses' station.

"So I wouldn't be allowed to come out and interview victims at the hospital, right? Because that would mean I was just here to see Olivia, right?" Elliot ran a hand down his face,

"Listen, I'm here to do my fucking job; this isn't about Olivia, so stop acting like she's the sole reason for our problems. Your problem is you aren't happy with me and you haven't been happy with me, but instead of acknowledging the fact that you are unhappy and that we're only together because I got you pregnant again, you choose to blame it on Olivia; it's not fair on her. Hell, she's trying to convince me to stick it out and work things out with you, but I can see that it isn't happening."

He moved to walk away, but she grabbed his arm; "We aren't done talking."

"I have a victim that needs interviewing and a partner that I'm supposed to be working with," he snatched his arm away, "We are done – fucking done."

He then stormed away, shaking his head as the anger radiated off of him. He took some deep breaths to calm down as he walked and took another one as he stopped outside the patient's room, before then opening the door and slipping into the room. Amanda and their victim looked up, and he apologized for his tardiness and introduced himself before urging the woman to continue. As he listened to her talk, he tried to focus on the task at hand, and not on the fact that his marriage had completely fallen apart and was now scattered around in pieces.

After about half an hour, he and Amanda had gotten enough information – Elliot felt sick as he knew that this woman's attack was now connected to Olivia's as well; this being confirmed after the victim's description of her attacker and her reaction when Elliot showed her the detailed sketch of the man that they still hadn't found. He and Amanda left the room once the woman's fiancé arrived, both detectives simply sighing and exchanging a glance as they were determined to find this sick bastard and get him off the streets as quickly as possible.

Elliot spotted Olivia and Casey sitting at the desk, chatting away together. He didn't spot Kathy around and frankly no longer cared where she was, and so told Amanda to go wait in the car for him. Amanda nodded and took the keys from him before making her way outside, while Elliot went over to the desk. As if sensing his presence, Olivia and Casey paused their conversation and looked up, both women smiling straight away as they set eyes on him. Elliot greeted Casey with a fist bump, before quietly asking Olivia if he could have a word with her. Olivia nodded and stood up before walking towards the exit with him.

"What happened?" she quietly asked.

"I'm done, Liv; I'm done," the two stepped outside into the cool, springtime air, "I mean, I can't even work without her picking a fight. I can't do this anymore, honestly."

He then ran his hand down his face before looking at her, "Mind if I crash at yours for a couple days? I have some extra clothes in my locker at work that'll last me a couple days until I have no choice but to go home, but if you don't mind?"

"Are you sure, Elliot?" Olivia asked, tilting her head to the side. Elliot nodded, taking another deep breath as he looked back at his best friend. He had never been surer of anything in his life; he was over Kathy and over their marriage.

"Positive."

"Well," Olivia nodded, squeezing his arm, "My guest room is yours, for as long as you need."

"Thank you, seriously; I appreciate it." Elliot replied. He then gave her a quick one arm hug before bidding her farewell then racing across the parking lot to the sedan where his partner was waiting. Olivia gave another wave before heading back inside of the hospital, her head swimming with thoughts as she walked back to the desk to join Casey again. As she passed, she saw that Kathy had returned and was now staring at her, though she ignored the burning gaze and focused her attention on Casey, whom had started talking to her again.

But her mind was on her best friend. She was worried about him, and she just hoped that he would be okay.

* * *

Olivia and Casey both had been grateful that their seven o'clock relief people had showed up on time as both girls were quite tired after having a rather busy afternoon and early evening in the emergency room as some influx of patients had come in after lunch time. After giving the report to the nurses that were showing up to replace them, the girls grabbed their things from the lounge before leaving together. It was now seven-thirty in the evening, and Olivia was looking forward to heading back to her apartment to curl up with a glass of wine. Casey sweetly offered to give her a lift home, and Olivia accepted because she couldn't be bothered to wait for a cab.

"So, got any plans with Amaro tonight or what?" she asked, referring to their mutual friend, Nick, as she sat in the passenger seat of Casey's car, glancing out the window as they cruised through the streets of the city. Casey shook her head, rolling her eyes as she stopped for a red light.

"Liv, Nick and I are staying friends," she raised an eyebrow, "We hooked up that night and had a nice date a couple days later, but we decided to just stay friends. Besides, I think he's going back to California tomorrow or something."

"I haven't even talked to him properly, I'm a shitty friend," Olivia shrugged, "Just with all this going on, I haven't been up much for talking."

"I've noticed," Casey nudged her as she began driving again, "Liv, you aren't a shitty friend though so don't say that; you've been through a traumatic event and you're dealing with the aftermath, we all understand."

"I just feel really bad, like I haven't been the _Liv_ you guys are used to lately; I'll be back there soon though, promise." Olivia chatted away, fiddling with her phone in her hand.

"Liv, we got your back; you know that." Casey glanced at her, giving her a supportive smile to which Olivia quietly thanked her for.

The rest of the ride was spent in a comfortable silence, and before long, Casey had parked in front of Olivia's apartment building. Olivia grabbed her bag and looked up, only to suddenly stop when she saw Elliot sitting on her front stoop. Casey noticed him as well and looked at Olivia with a smirk on her lips as Olivia had told her earlier about Elliot's plans to stay at her apartment for a few days. Olivia rolled her eyes, gathering up her bag as she ignored her friend's burning gaze.

"Wow, he couldn't wait to get to you," Casey joked before squeezing her friend's arm; "See you tomorrow afternoon; our three til eleven shift is tomorrow – at least we can sleep in; last day then two days off."

"I suppose that's a plus side; goodnight." Olivia rolled her eyes and bid her friend farewell before exiting the vehicle. Casey beeped the horn and gave a wave before pulling out into the traffic again to head off home. Olivia walked up to the stoop, just as Elliot stood up with his duffle bag on his shoulder, giving her a smile.

"You haven't been waiting here for long, have you?" she wondered as she punched in the security code to unlock the door.

"Nah, I've only been here about fifteen minutes or so," Elliot sweetly held the door open, allowing her to slip inside first before he then followed; "Good day at work?"

"Good, but just so busy," they took the stairs up to her floor, "Did you manage to calm down or what?"

"Don't even ask." He groaned in response. She simply shook her head in despair, chuckling softly as she unlocked the door to her apartment. The two slipped inside and she flicked the lights on before telling him to simply make himself at home. It had been a long day and she just wanted to get changed out of the scrubs that she'd been stuck in for the last twelve hours.

About half an hour later, she emerged from her bedroom; freshly showered and now dressed in a pair of yoga bottoms and a baggy grey _NYPD_ t-shirt. Elliot too had changed out of his suit and into a pair of sweatpants and a _USMC_ t-shirt. When he saw Olivia with the t-shirt on, he smirked, and his eyebrow shot up.

"That my shirt, Benson?" he questioned.

"Yep," she shrugged as she made her way over to the kitchen area; "You left it here a while ago and I just kept it." She grabbed a couple beers, and a few take out menus before joining him on the sofa. He thanked her when she handed the beer to him, and she simply nodded before twisting off the cap and taking a long swig. She was trying to not only destress after the shift she'd had, but to calm her nerves. Elliot was staying at her apartment and having him in such a close proximity was making her nervous for some reason. He had stayed at her apartment before even after going back home, but it was different again. This time, he was sure and fine with the thought of his marriage being over, and with Olivia's feelings for him slowly increasing by the day, she was finding this to be very scary, yet exciting at the same time.

She needed all the liquid courage possible.

"So, does she know you're officially gone?" Olivia wondered, resting her arm along the back of the sofa as she turned to the side to face him.

"No; I just text her and warned her that I was staying in the city tonight and tomorrow night and that she probably wouldn't see me until Wednesday," Elliot paused to take a swig of his beer, "Cap says I still have plenty of time, so I think I'll take Wednesday off and just spend the day with Eli, and then after all the kids are done with school, I'll just take them to dinner and talk to them about this."

He then looked down at his bottle, fiddling with the glass object before looking up at his friend again. Olivia noticed his watery eyes, and that's how she knew that this was truly affecting him – a lot more than he was letting on.

"Elliot, it'll all work out; I'm here for you – you know that." She spoke quietly, shuffling closer to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and rubbed gently, feeling her heart break due to the defeated look on his face.

"I just don't want her to stop the kids from seeing me." he shrugged, his gaze now focused on the bottle in his hand.

"She won't, and I'm fighting in your corner too; she won't win that battle." Olivia assured him. Elliot simply nodded and thanked her, before taking another swig of his beer. Olivia opened her mouth to speak before both of them were suddenly distracted by Elliot's phone buzzing. He grabbed it from the table, rolling his eyes straight away; _'Kathy'._

"What?" he answered once he'd pressed the phone to his ear. Olivia could hear Kathy through the phone, and while she couldn't make out what she was saying, judging by the look on Elliot's face, he was not happy.

"I'll call mine in the morning, because I'm not doing this anymore," a brief pause, "Well Kathy, I'm not happy and you aren't either, so no point in us continuing to argue and drag this out is it?" He stood up rather abruptly, storming off into the guest room. Olivia jumped at the sound of the door slamming behind him; she knew he was beyond angry now and she just wished she could stop him from having to deal with all of this.

About fifteen minutes or so later – while Olivia was halfway watching a show and looking through a Chinese takeout menu – Elliot returned. He dropped his phone onto the table and sat down, immediately taking a long swig of his beer before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Olivia looked at him with a raised eyebrow, swallowing nervously before asking;

"So…?"

"She called a lawyer today on her lunch break; that was her telling me I should do the same if I wanted a chance at seeing my kids," he let out laugh, the bitterness present in the sound; "She didn't waste any fucking time, did she? I'm done."

"Elliot-"

"No, Liv; I am done," Elliot turned to her, grabbing hold of her arm in a gentle manner, "I'm done. It's time for me to move on and find my own happiness while still being the best Dad I can be; it'll all be okay."

Olivia nodded her head, twisting her hand around to grab his forearm.

"I got your back."

"I know you do," he suddenly looped an arm around her, pulling her into his embrace, "You got my back, and I got yours too."

* * *

 _ **Pleaseeee let me know what you guys think! I hope you all enjoyed this update; I love you all - until next time xoxo**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey beautiful humans.**

 **I'm finally back with another update. This part is a little all over - Elliot comforts Olivia, and Kathy...well, she's angry. Just, read and find out - will ya?**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 12**

 _Cold and clammy hands were on her thighs. She softness of her dress was sliding up her thighs. Her mind was screaming for her to get a grip and push this man off, yet her legs felt like jelly and arms felt like they were weighted down with blocks. Her head was foggy, her vision was blurry. The man was whispering something to her in a gruff voice – something about how he knew she liked it._

 _She didn't like it; she wanted him to let go. She turned her head to the side and whimpered in protest, but her mouth wouldn't form any words. He was crushing her with his body weight, trapping her against the brick and his frame. She bit her lip when he entered her, and tears slipped down her cheeks as she tried to find the strength to fight against him._

 _She was just so fucking dizzy._

 _And suddenly, she was falling…_

" _Liv…Livia…Liv.."_

* * *

"Liv!"

Olivia suddenly jumped, sitting up right in the bed straight away and breathing heavily. The room was still dark, indicating that it was still the middle of the night. Her body shone through the dim light of the streetlamp that was peeking through a small gap in her bedroom curtains; she was covered in a thin layer of sweat. Her heart felt like it was about to beat of her chest, and there were tears that had slipped down her cheeks.

The light flicked on and her head snapped to the side. Elliot was knelt on the edge of her bed, concern shining through his bright blue eyes. Olivia blinked a couple times before focusing her gaze on him, on the blue eyes that were her anchor during the darkest times. She could feel her heart rate calming down and her breathing was beginning to steady, but her hands were still shaking.

"Hang on." Elliot murmured. He rushed off to the en suite bathroom, then returned a few moments later with a small cup of water and a cold cloth. He handed her the water, before carefully dabbing around her face with the cool cloth while she sipped at the drink.

"You're okay," he whispered, keeping his voice calm and tranquil, "You're okay, Liv; it was a dream."

Olivia nodded, taking yet another deep breath before turning her head to look at him. Her eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip trembled ever so slightly; though relieved that it was only a nightmare, she could almost still feel the man's hands on her and him forcing himself inside of her. She shuddered slightly then wiped her eyes as she took a couple deep breaths.

"I'm okay." She whispered. Elliot nodded, taking the cup from her hand and disappearing back into the en suite bathroom. He put the items onto the sink, before returning to her bedside again. She was running her hands through her hair and still trying to relax it seemed, and though he knew he had to be up in a matter of hours for work as it was only two-thirty in the morning, his main concern was her at the moment.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. She nodded, turning her head to look up at him.

"Promise." She whispered. They stared at each other for a moment, their eyes locking in the dim light provided by the bedside lamp. There was something unspoken in the gaze they were sharing, both were itching to say something, but the words simply wouldn't come out – out of fear perhaps. They simply watched each other for a moment, before Olivia then broke the gaze and shuffled under the blankets.

"Goodnight Elliot; thanks for checking on me."

He nodded, whispering a simple; "Goodnight, Liv." before exiting the room. Olivia flicked the switch on the lamp, plunging the room into darkness once more. She then rolled onto her back, staring at the swirly patterns on her ceiling that she was just able to make out through the dim light of the street lap that was peeking through the tiny gap in the curtains.

Elliot was really in the room just a few feet away and here she was sleeping in this bed on her own. She swallowed. She wanted him to hold her in his arms, she wanted to sleep with her head resting on his firm chest. She knew she'd sleep soundly because she would feel safe; she always felt safe when she was wrapped up in one of Elliot's hugs. His strong arms were like a blanket and his chest was like a cushion; she could just lose herself in that feeling of contentment and warmth that she always felt whenever Elliot hugged her. Truthfully, he was the only man that had ever made her feel that way.

No wonder she hated hugging any of her past boyfriends. They weren't _Elliot._

She shut her eyes tight and sighed to herself. Why was she thinking this way about her best friend who was still very much married? She cursed herself. It was no denying that she had always found Elliot to be extremely attractive, with his muscles and toned thighs and handsome face and wonderful personality. He was a dream catch for anyone. But now, with the boundary lines becoming increasingly blurry with the chaos that was surrounding his marriage at the moment, the thoughts of him were creeping into her head more and more. The more she thought, the more she wanted to act.

She thought back to earlier when Elliot told her that Kathy had called a lawyer and that it was time for him to move on as well. Did that mean he wanted to move on with her? She shook her head as soon as the thought entered her head. Elliot could have any woman he wanted, so why would he want someone that was damaged like she was? He would probably want another blonde; another – better – version of Kathy that would make him happy. She was only his best friend, and perhaps that was all he saw her as.

The sound of her door creaking as it opened a bit snapped Olivia from her thoughts. Her head snapped in the direction of the door; it was only Elliot, poking his head back into the room again. There was a look on his face that Olivia was trying to read, but she couldn't quite figure it out. She just sat up as he stepped fully into the room, her brown eyes connecting with his blue ones once again even though they were in the dark.

"El, what's-"

"I um…is it okay if I stay…just to make sure you're okay?"

The question was so quiet, almost as if he had spoke in a whisper. Olivia felt like her heart had leapt into her throat. All the thoughts she'd just had about Elliot only seeing her as a friend were now lost in some jumbled-up mess as it dawned on her what had happened.

Elliot had really come back into her room and asked if he could stay with her.

She couldn't find the words. With her heart hammering in her chest, she nodded her head and shuffled around to the right side of the bed. He closed the door back and placed his phone on the bedside table, before shuffling onto the left side of the bed. He laid on his back and pulled the covers over him up to his waist, while Olivia laid on her side, facing him. There was still a bit of space between them, but he could easily pull her into his arms if he wanted to, or she could easily shift and rest her head on his firm chest.

Anything could happen.

A small smile was on her lips. With him simply laying here beside her, she already felt better than she'd felt in the last week.

"Goodnight, El; sleep well."

She closed her eyes, her heart fluttering when she felt him moving around then felt his lips on her forehead.

"Goodnight, Liv; you sleep well too."

* * *

The blaring of the alarm sounded throughout the room some hours later, causing groans of despair to escape the lips of the two exhausted adults who felt like they had only just drifted back off to sleep. Olivia went to move to find the cause of the disturbance, only for a look of confusion to come across her face when she realized she couldn't. She blinked a bit then looked down, only to find that she had now shuffled closer and had her head resting on Elliot's shoulder and that his arm was around her, holding her in a protective manner.

Her eyes went wide, and she sat up slightly, watching as he finally grabbed hold of his phone to knock the sound off. He too blinked before turning to face her, a perplexed expression on his face before he then realized that he had his arm wrapped around her. He gave a shy smile and moved his arm, before helping her to lay back down again and pulling the blankets over her some more as it was a little chilly in the room.

"It's only a quarter past six, so go back to sleep," he whispered before kissing her forehead, "Sorry by the way."

"It's okay, I promise," she told him before grabbing hold of his arm, stroking her thumb against his wrist, "Do you want some coffee or something? You always complain about the shit Munch makes, and I can always go back to sleep after I make you some."

"You need your rest." He argued.

"And you need fresh coffee," she smiled as she sat up and swung her legs out of bed; "Go shower, and I'll make you some fresh coffee." She let go of his wrist before hopping out of bed, giving him a shy smile as she passed him. She tried not to focus on how normal this felt, waking up to make him coffee before he left for work, but this feeling was overwhelming, and she actually couldn't stop her lips from curling into a smile as she took some deep breaths.

Half an hour later, Olivia was sat on one of the stools at her counter, sipping a steaming mug of fresh coffee. Elliot had finished showering and had just emerged from the guest bedroom and was now dressed in a pair of black slacks and blue button-down shirt, and a red tie that Olivia recognized as one she'd gotten him for his birthday a while back. He was wearing a pair of black shoes and had a black suit jacket slung over his arm, and his gun and badge were already clipped to his hip. He was humming quietly to himself as he buttoned his cuffs while approaching the kitchen area.

Olivia licked her lips; he was truly a handsome man – and there was no harm in looking, right?

She stood up and moved around the counter to pour him a cup of coffee. He gave her a smile as he finished buttoning the cuffs, before quietly thanking her as he took the steaming mug of coffee from her as well as a packet of sugar.

"I always have liked staying here, it's close to the precinct," Elliot randomly remarked after a few moments of silence; "I can leave here soon and still get to work at a decent time."

Olivia glanced at the clock on the stove before looking at him again; "You literally have to be at work in fifteen minutes, don't you?"

"Seven-thirty the latest," Elliot pointed out before continuing; "I'm gonna have to take some time today and call a lawyer to get this shit finished." He then rolled his eyes, lifting the steaming mug of coffee to his lips. He took a sip and let out a satisfied groan, clearly happy with the coffee this morning so he wouldn't be forced to drink the sludge Munch would make at the precinct.

"Our friend Alex is a good lawyer; she doesn't usually do divorce but she's damn good – do you want me to talk to her?" Olivia spoke up, giving him a small smile. She wanted to do anything she could to help him and wanted him to escape from this chaos as quickly – and as unscathed – as possible.

"I might have to call her; I need good representation," Elliot let out a chuckle, "Nah, I'm gonna call the lawyer I contacted when we almost divorced before, and if he can't help me, then I'll call Alex."

"Deal," Olivia took another sip of her coffee, "Hey, uh…you're gonna be okay right, with everything?"

Elliot placed his mug onto the counter before coming around the side of the counter. He grabbed hold of her arms, stroking gently with his thumbs as he gazed at her. He always appreciated the concern she had for him; she was probably more concerned about him than he was about himself. Still, it was something that made her a great friend and something he loved about her, and he was truly grateful that he had someone like her that had his back and that was always fighting in his corner.

"Livia, I'm going to be fine, everything will be fine," he rubbed his hands up and down her arms; "This is something that was destined to happen anyway. It's happening now and actually, I'm glad; it'll be okay – and plus, I know you've got my back."

Olivia nodded her head, her lips twisting into a small smile as she quietly spoke; "I got your back, and you got mine."

"Always," he kissed her forehead before grabbing his mug and downing the rest of his coffee, "Okay, I better get to work." He slipped his arms into his suit jacket and grabbed his keys before grabbing hold of Olivia's face with both hands, kissing her forehead before she could even register what the hell was happening.

And God, this felt so fucking normal to her – it was driving her insane.

He uttered a goodbye and told her he'd see her sometime later, before leaving out. Olivia wandered over and locked up the doors, before letting out a breath as she leaned her back against the door. She ran her hands up and down her face, squeezing her eyes shut briefly as she tried to calm her heartrate down.

Yet all she could think about was Elliot Stabler – and his soft lips on her skin.

* * *

Later in the afternoon, Olivia had gotten some more rest after seeing Elliot off that morning and was now showered and dressed in a purple scrub top and a pair of black pants. Her brunette locks were tidied back into a ponytail and she was wearing a grey hoodie as she knew it would be chilly in the hospital. She had only just put her essentials into her bag when her phone buzzed with a text from Casey, whom was waiting outside for her, so they could head to work. Olivia quickly left a note for Elliot in case he came back while she was out, before then grabbing her keys and leaving out for the day.

A short while later, Olivia and Casey were walking through the staff entrance of the emergency room. They made their way down the hall and into the emergency room, greeting a few of their co-workers with a smile before making their way to the lounge. They chatted quietly as they put their bags in their lockers and grabbed their trendy stethoscopes and other essentials. They were still talking as they exited the room and walked back towards the nurses' station to get started on their lengthy shift, and while Olivia knew that Casey was dying to ask questions about Elliot staying at her place, she was grateful that the blonde wasn't bringing anything up, especially when she knew that a few of the nurses around there were friends with Kathy.

Casey and Olivia were engrossed in conversation with the nurses that they were relieving of duty, when suddenly, an irritating voice was heard;

"Olivia, you homewrecking bitch!"

Olivia turned around with a frown on her face, only to be greeted with a powerful slap to the jaw and sent her staggering back a bit. She looked up; Kathy was standing before her, seething in anger with a fiery look in her eyes that Olivia had never seen before.

"Does that make you happy, huh?" Kathy shoved the brunette, whom wasn't as quick on her feet as she was still recovering from the slap; "Does it make you happy that you ruined a good home?"

"Kathy, she didn't ruin anything, and you know that," Casey stepped in, grabbing hold of the blonde's arms to push her back from her friend; "Don't blame her for your screwed-up marriage."

"Of course, you stick up for her; whores stick together." Kathy spat back, glaring at her.

"Kathy, I swear to God – I had nothing to do with whatever Elliot has decided to do," Olivia spoke up, stepping around Casey so that she was face to face with the angry woman; "You and I both know that I have _always_ fought for Elliot to stay with you, or did you forget about last year, when I convinced you to stay even though he had gone undercover and not told you? Don't you dare try and blame whatever is happening on me, when I've done nothing wrong."

" _You_...you are what's wrong – Elliot and I would be fine if you had never come into his life, ever," Kathy snarled, shaking off the grip of one of the other nurses; "Truth is, I've known for a long time that I can't compete with you; that you're the one that Elliot has really wanted and the one that I'll always come second to."

"You know that's not true, Kathy-"

"Whatever, Olivia; you can have him now," Kathy shook her head, "You may not have physically acted on _whatever_ it is between you two, but emotionally, I never stood a chance once he met you."

With that, she turned on her heel, leaving the nurses to stare after her as she walked away. Olivia bit her lip as tears brimmed in her eyes, more so out of embarrassment than anything else. But at the same time, she felt sorry for the woman. She knew what Kathy meant – she and Elliot were very connected on an emotional level, more so than she had ever been with anyone else and more so than he had ever been with Kathy. She had never meant for it to be like that, and she had always encouraged Elliot to talk to Kathy and work things out with her. It wasn't her fault that things had turned so sour between the pair.

So why did she feel guilty? So _fucking_ guilty?

She excused herself and rushed off to the bathroom. She washed some of the tears off her face and inspected her cheek, whining quietly when she noticed the reddening mark on her face from the powerful slap. She ran some cold water over the area and wiped her eyes, before then making her way back out towards the nurses' station with her head held high.

She knew she hadn't done anything wrong, and she certainly would not let Kathy get inside her head.

* * *

 ** _Well well...let me know what you guys think. I enjoyed writing this update, and well, there will be more soon. Leave some reviews. Until next time my friends xoxo_**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys!**

 **Anddd here we are - part 13. Things twist a little bit towards the end of this chapter; please...read on and I hope you guys like it!**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 13**

 _11:48pm._

Elliot took another swig of his beer as he glanced at his watch. He hated when Olivia worked these late shifts and always felt anxious until she would let him know that she was home. Of course, him now staying at her apartment only was making him more anxious, as he wouldn't rest at all until he watched her come through the door safely.

It had been a rather long, drawn out day for the Manhattan Special Victims Unit; there was of paperwork and preparations for victims and witnesses whom were testifying. They were grateful to have not caught a new case and had even managed to go out and have some dinner together after work as they hadn't done that in a while. Of course, Elliot had spent most of the time in a fog, wishing that he was somewhere with Olivia – just the two of them, talking about the things going on in his head as she was the only one who seemed to understand.

Earlier in the day, in between paperwork and preparations, he had managed to take a moment to get down to see the old lawyer he had worked with the first time he and Kathy had gone through this. The man had discussed with him what he knew so far – Kathy was asking for a substantial amount of money in child support, as well as the house and full custody of the children. Elliot felt like he had been punched in the gut as he hadn't expected that, and the thought of his estranged wife possibly being awarded full custody of their kids was enough to make him want to feel sick. With his long hours at work, the chances of her being awarded such were high, and that meant Elliot had to fight like hell for joint custody instead. He knew why she was trying to be so hard on him through this – she was angry about this situation, and especially about Olivia, even though she had nothing to do with anything.

Elliot ran a hand down his face. God, he wished things were simple.

He glanced at his watch again, it was now about growing closer to midnight and he was getting a bit worried. He picked up his phone and was all prepared to call her to see where she was, when his attention was suddenly captured by the sound of jingling keys and the locks turning. He looked up and his lips instantly curled into a smile; Olivia was coming through the door. She looked tired, but she looked so beautiful still – and his heart skipped a beat the sight of her.

"Hey, Liv; how was work?"

When she mumbled something inaudible and simply threw her hand up in his direction as she made her way towards her bedroom, a wave of concern washed over him.

"Liv." He called after her, getting up to follow her. He cautiously entered her bedroom, now finding that she had shrugged off her hoodie and tossed her bag onto her bed and was now shaking out her hair as she'd taken it out of its ponytail. However, he could see her reflection in her mirror, and she was clearly bothered by something.

"Liv, did something happen?" He asked.

"I'm fine, Elliot." She shrugged. He knew that response; it was the one she used when she wasn't fine at all.

"Liv, don't do that," he stepped closer to her, "Don't tell me you're fine when you're not." He held her shoulders and turned her around to face him, though his eyes went wide and he was stunned into silence when he saw the obvious red mark on her cheek.

"Olivia, who did this?" He grabbed hold of her chin, gently turning her head so that he could inspect it better.

"El, it's not a –"

"Don't tell me it's not a big deal," he cut her off, turning her head back so that she would look at him; "Who did this to you?"

"Elliot-"

"Olivia, tell me." His eyes took on a softer appearance, one of genuine concern. Olivia sighed, rolling her eyes as she moved his hand off of her face.

"Kathy."

Elliot's eyes went wide. Kathy had actually hurt Olivia? He swallowed the lump in his throat; "Wh-what?"

"Kathy Stabler, your soon to be ex-wife," she shrugged; "If you don't believe me, ask Casey because she was standing right there along with quite a few other nurses, but yeah, she slapped me earlier today and it's been stinging like a bitch; I didn't realize till hours later that she had actually broken the skin."

"Why the hell did she do this?" Anger flashed through his eyes, and Olivia almost regretted telling him.

"Because I'm a _homewrecking bitch_ ," she mimicked Kathy's voice and words from earlier before continuing; "I'm apparently the reason your marriage is over, and she feels she never stood a chance once you met me – blah blah."

She turned and opened her drawer to grab some shorts and a t-shirt. She had just turned around again when Elliot suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her closer to him, still holding her arms.

"You have never, _ever_ been the cause of this, you gotta know that, and she knows that deep down. Nobody blames you, Olivia; not the kids, not me – _nobody_." He assured her, stroking her arms gently with his thumbs.

"Apart from your wife," she brushed his hands off, shaking her head in despair as she grabbed her clothing for bed; "I tell you what though – if she _ever_ puts her hands on me at work again, she'll be needing one of those trauma beds." She then muttered a simple 'bitch' under her breath before retreating to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her while Elliot ran his hand down his face.

He was going to talk to Kathy about this. He knew that defending Olivia would make him look guilty – even though he obviously had absolutely nothing to be guilty for – but Kathy had officially crossed a line. He sighed as he made his way out of her bedroom and back to the living room, plonking himself down onto the sofa. He had a feeling that this divorce was going to get messy, and that was just something that he didn't want as in the end, the kids would probably get hurt the most.

He grabbed his beer and took another swig, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. This was complicated, and he hated when things were complicated.

He looked towards Olivia's bedroom door which was still slightly ajar from when he'd left out of her room. His lips curled into a soft smile, his eyes taking on a softer appearance.

As long as Olivia was by his side, everything would be okay…

* * *

The next day came around quickly. Elliot had gotten up in the early hours of the morning to see Olivia off to work for her seventh day in a row, and had walked her downstairs to her building entrance around six-thirty when she'd received a text to tell her that Casey had arrived so they could go to work for twelve hours. After a quick hug goodbye, he returned upstairs to her apartment and went straight to the guest room to sleep for a little while longer.

Elliot had the day off, and so around nine, he dragged himself up and took a shower. He dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and sneakers, and pulled on a blue, white emblazoned NYPD sweatshirt as the spring temperatures were still a bit cold in New York. He knew that Kathy was not working today, and so he shot her a text to tell her he wanted to spend the day with Eli. Surprisingly, she agreed to it without much conflict, and so as the time neared ten, Elliot found himself making the drive from Manhattan to Queens, to what was going to soon be his former marital home.

Upon arriving, he stepped out of his Jeep and jogged up to the front door. He knocked, and after a few moments, Kathy opened the door with the blonde haired and blue eyed toddler on his hip, whose little curls were falling all around his beautiful eyes. He looked adorable in a pair of jeans and a small, navy blue NYPD t-shirt, and his little Converse trainers.

"Daddy!" he burst out, reaching his arms out.

"Hey little man," Elliot immediately took the toddler into his arms, then stepped into the house, "Where's his bag and stuff?"

"In here, already packed." Kathy gestured for him to follow, which he did. They went into the kitchen and he grabbed the packed bag from the counter. Eli's toys and any change of clothes and some extra diapers were in there just in case, though they weren't really needed as he was potty trained.

"I'm picking the twins and Katie up from school, then we're gonna call Maureen to meet us in the city for dinner." He announced his plans, breaking the tense silence that had consumed the estranged couple.

"No need in me even arguing since I know you won't change your mind," Kathy rolled her eyes, "Elliot, are we really done this time?"

"Yeah, we are," Elliot nodded, standing firm in his decision; "We aren't happy, and you know that; us staying together just for the kids isn't healthy."

He stepped closer to her, keeping Eli on his hip with one arm while he used his other hand to place on the blonde woman's shoulder;

"I want you to be happy, truly happy," he spoke with sincerity in his eyes; "Kath, I'll always care about you as the mother of my children, but we're done – me and you had a great ride and I'll always cherish it, but hell, we've been trying for the last couple years and you know that. If we're both trying this hard and nothing is working, then what does that tell you?"

"I get it, and I do agree," Kathy nodded, her gaze flicking to the ground then back up again; "Just…one more thing; and I need the truth."

"What?"

"Are you in love with Olivia?"

The question caught Elliot off guard, and truthfully, he wasn't sure how to answer as he himself wasn't even sure of the answer. He had always had an intense connection with Olivia, one that was unexplainable and one that nobody around them ever understood. It was a bond that went beyond words and was deeper than even the two of them realized. He cared about her deeply and would honestly die for Olivia, and some strange feelings had been stirring inside of him lately, confusing him a bit, especially considering he and Olivia were simply friends.

But now that Kathy had asked this question, he was wondering if it was that – if he was in love with his best friend.

"I um…I honestly don't know," He shrugged; "She's great, and I care about her a lot."

" _Mmm_ …figured as much," Kathy hummed, nodding her head; "Okay, well you two head off and have a good day, have them all back by ten the latest; school night."

"Got it." Elliot replied. He then slung Eli's bag over his shoulder, then began chatting quietly to the little boy as they exited the home together. He went to his car and strapped the little boy into his car seat in the back of the car, then put the bag on the floor. He then slipped into the drivers seat and beeped the horn to Kathy once again, before driving off. Her words were ringing in his head, sending his mind into a state of chaos.

He just kept asking himself that same question; _'Are you in love with Olivia?'_

* * *

The day passed quickly. Eli and Elliot ended up going to the zoo together, which the little boy loved and kept watching the animals with a rather enthusiastic look on his face. Elliot had taken several pictures on his phone of Eli and some of them together, and had sent most of them to Olivia even though he knew she wouldn't see them for a while as she was working. He and Eli had a nice lunch together at the café in the zoo, and Eli chatted away animatedly about whatever in gibberish it seemed, though Elliot would nod enthusiastically and engage in conversation with the toddler. He had pushed Kathy's question to the back of his mind for now, but it would pop up every now and then, though he would just push it back and tell himself to deal with it later.

Later towards the evening, the older kids were out of school and Elliot had picked them up. They hung out at the park for a while to kill some time until Maureen was finished with her final class for the day, then once she text and said that she was finished, they loaded back into the car and made their way back into the city. They pulled up at a pizza restaurant and got out, making their way inside. Maureen had already arrived and was waiting for them at a large table in the back. They made their way over, and after hugs were shared, they all sat down together.

A short while later, their drinks were on the table and they were waiting for their pizzas to arrive, so they could eat. The older children knew that there was a reason for them all to be together like this without their mother, though neither of them would dare bring it up.

"Okay so…guys…I wanted us all to have dinner together tonight, because I love you guys and I want you to know that nothing will change, despite what I'm about to tell you." He looked around at them all. Eli obviously didn't understand and was none the wiser as he sat in his eldest sister's lap, but Dickie and Lizzie both sighed at the same time and simply looked at him with small smiles on their lips. Maureen gave him a supportive smile, and Kathleen rolled her eyes and bit her lip as if she were itching to say something. The silence loomed around them, until Kathleen spoke up; "Dad, just spit it out – we already know."

"Guys – it's complicated between me and your Mom; you know we fight a lot, more than we did before and I know you guys remember that…" he began.

"That was the worst time ever." Kathleen sighed, folding her arms.

"I used to hate when you and Mom would fight; it made me scared." Lizzie admitted, looking at her father again.

"At least you and Dickie were too little to get it; me and Katie both understood everything and it sucked," Maureen shook her head before turning to her father, "Did you and Mom finally come to your senses? I told you guys ages ago that getting back together just for the squirt was a bad idea." She glanced down at her little brother, who was now occupied by a cartoon show that was playing on Maureen's phone.

"Jesus Mo, that was subtle." Kathleen burst out, her eyes going wide at the bluntness of her sister.

"Oh Katie come on, you and I both know that's the only reason they got back together," Maureen gave her sister a knowing look before looking at Elliot again; "Dad, we all love the squirt obviously, he's our baby; but even you'll admit that you and Mom would've went through with the divorce had you not slipped up and knocked her up again?"

"I mean…okay…no we wouldn't be together," Elliot sighed before looking at the twins, wondering what they would think as they were only twelve; "Guys, tell me what you're thinking."

"I'm thinking that we'll be fine, Dad; you and Mom need to be happy – and you aren't happy together." Dickie remarked.

"I just don't want things to change," Lizzie sighed, shrugging her shoulders; "But…it has to I guess, because you and Mom really do fight a lot and aren't happy."

"Not much will change kiddo, I'll still see you as regularly as I can and we can still hang out on birthdays and holidays; whatever – I just won't live at home anymore." Elliot explained.

"What if Mom takes us away to Grandma's again, like she did before?" Lizzie wondered. There was genuine concern and sadness in her eyes, and that concerned Elliot greatly as he didn't want her to be too worried.

"She won't do that, I'll talk to her and make sure she doesn't," Elliot assured them all, "It'll be okay guys; I promise."

"Will we be able to see Liv more without hearing Mom go on about it forever?" Kathleen asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Livie!" Eli burst out, looking around with an excited look on his face. His enthusiasm earned a chuckle from the group, as it was always his reaction whenever he heard _'Olivia'_ or _'Liv'._

"Yeah buddy, _Livie,_ " Maureen smiled at her baby brother before looking at her Dad again; "Will we though?"

"I don't see why not, though really you guys can see her now since you know where she lives." Elliot pointed out.

"Mom would probably kill us," Dickie rolled his eyes, "Alright listen Dad, it's like this – we love you and we want you to be happy, and we definitely won't object to Liv being our stepmom."

"Whoa, who said anything about-"

"We know you like Liv, Dad; and to be honest, she does seem to make you happy." Lizzie pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

Elliot turned to his two older daughters, who were biting their lips and trying as hard as they could not to laugh out loud; "Little help?"

"You already know I love Liv, so…" Kathleen shrugged her shoulders.

"And I've known Liv since I was super little; she's great," Maureen tickled the tummy of her little brother whom was sitting in her lap; "And this guy loves Livie too – don't you buddy?"

"Love Livie." Eli smiled at them all.

Elliot chucked. This has been easier than he'd anticipated, and luckily, his kids understood where he was coming from. Feeling grateful for them all, he simply gave a smile. Things would be okay; everything would always be okay.

A couple of hours later – and of course, after they'd followed Maureen back to the Hudson campus and bid her farewell – Elliot found himself pulling into the driveway of his formal marital home. The older kids got out and he lifted a sleepy Eli into his arms and slung the bag over his shoulder before following them up to the door. Though Kathy told him to be back by ten the latest, it was only a bit past seven and Eli was getting tired, plus they'd been out for hours anyway and the older kids still needed to finish their homework. He watched as Kathleen used her key to let them all in, then shut the door behind them.

"Okay guys, I'm gonna put this guy to bed then-" he paused, a confused frown coming across his face when he heard muffled sounds coming from upstairs. The other kids seemed to have heard it too and q2were now looking at him with a confused look. Elliot slipped Eli into Kathleen's arms and told them to wait downstairs, before then heading upstairs himself with his hand on his holster, which currently held his off-duty weapon.

He stealthily made his way down the hall, realizing that the sounds were coming from the master bedroom, the one he shared with Kathy. He heard a louder sound and his brow furrowed, his heart pounding in his chest as he hoped it wasn't what he thought it was. He approached the bedroom with caution, breathing out before pushing the door open.

He froze at the sight before him, and his actions clearly had started the two figures that were naked and in bed.

"Elliot…oh my God."

Elliot swallowed, his eyes wide; "Kathy?"

And then, he flipped.

He stormed into the room, throwing the clothes at the man while screaming at Kathy, demanding to know who this man was, telling her that he couldn't believe what she'd done. Kathy pleaded with him to let her explain and even tried to tell him that she was sorry, but Elliot was too pissed off and hurt to care. He looked to the guy whom has gotten dressed again and was watching intently, but when the guy caught sight of Elliot's face, he immediately tried to rush out, though he didn't manage to escape one of Elliot's fists connecting with his jaw.

The man rushed down the stairs and out the door, Elliot was hot on his heels and Kathy was following Elliot. The kids watched in horror as things unfolded, and the chaos had startled little Eli, whom had now started to cry. The guy managed to jump into his car across the street and drive away, and Elliot turned to Kathy, whom was grabbing his arm and trying to talk to him.

"I'm sorry, Elliot, I'm-"

"No…I'm fucking done!" He bellowed, storming back towards the house yet again.

Roughly ten minutes later, he was back downstairs with a couple bags full of his things. The kids were in the living room huddled together, and Elliot kissed them all on the forehead, telling them how much he loved them and that he'd come see them soon. Kathy was standing in the doorway, crying her eyes out.

"Elliot, wait just…let's talk about this, please Elliot…"

"I'm done," Elliot snatched the gold ring off his finger, slamming it down onto the end table beside the couch; "All the accusations against me were to cover your own ass, and I'm done."

He pushed past her and stormed out of the house. He jumped into his car and tossed the bags into the backseat, before starting the engine.

He drove towards the city. He knew where he was going, and he wasn't looking back – not again.

* * *

 ** _Dun...DUN! Please, leave some reviews! Part fourteen will come soon guys! Until next time...xoxo_**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm finally back with a new chapter. In the last Chapter, Elliot stormed out of his marital home after finding Kathy with another man. In this one, he goes to the person who gives him stability, he realizes things, and later in the chapter, Maureen visits Olivia to have a chat. It's a lot, so read away my friends.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 14**

"Come on Olivia, please be home."

Elliot was standing outside of Olivia's building, ringing her buzzer for some prolonged time. He checked his watch; it was just after eight o'clock and he was sure that she had gotten home – well, he was hoping that she had gotten home already. He was fuming and just needed to get inside, he needed to talk to her and hopefully have her calm him down as he was still reeling from what he had just come across.

His wife of twenty years had been cheating on him.

He knew that there was always a saying that whenever someone was accusing someone else of cheating, that they were really trying to cover their own tracks. However, he never thought that Kathy would actually do that to him. He knew that they weren't happy, but he just never expected for this to happen. He was even more worried about his kids now; they obviously couldn't have known, but he was upset about the fact he had to leave them in that house tonight instead of bringing them out with him. He sighed to himself as he leaned against the wall; Kathleen was probably losing her temper at Kathy now as she was the one that would always say what was on her mind. He ran his hand down his face; everything was so beyond screwed up now.

He sighed and pulled his phone from his pocket, tapping his fingers across the screen before highlighting Olivia's number. He tapped her number and held the phone up to his ear, listening to the sound of the ringer a couple times before breathing out as she finally answered;

" _Hey El."_

"Liv…" he took a deep breath, "Liv, I'm outside; let me up."

" _Okay, hang on."_ She then hung up, and a few moments later, Elliot heard the click of the lock. He rushed inside and took the few flights of stairs up to the fourth floor, and just as he was about to knock, the door swung open. Olivia was smiling, but her smile faded when she took in his appearance.

"I was outside buzzing you." He sighed as he stepped into the apartment. He watched as she closed the door behind them before putting the lock back on as well as the chain.

"I'm sorry, I was taking a shower," she placed her hand on his shoulder; "Elliot, what is it?"

Elliot moved away from her and plonked down onto the sofa, tossing his bags into the floor by his feet. He held his hand in his hands, and his leg was bobbing up and down, a clear sign that he was angry.

Olivia approached him slowly, a curious expression on her face as she watched him. She knew he wasn't angry with her about anything, but something had happened, and it was affecting him. She went to the kitchen area and grabbed two beers, before heading over to the sofa and sitting down beside him. She placed both beers on the table, then curled her legs under her. Elliot would open up to her soon enough; she wouldn't push him, but he knew that she was there.

They sat in silence for a short while, maybe about half an hour, until suddenly he blurted out;

"Kathy cheated on me."

Olivia looked up from her phone, her eyes going wide in shock. She had to admit, the thought had crossed her mind a couple times, but she had pushed it aside because she figured there was no way Kathy was cheating, especially since she was always accusing Elliot of doing just that.

Then again, there was a saying regarding people who always accused others of cheating.

"El…" she began, but then stopped. She really didn't know what to say or do. All she knew was that her best friend was hurting and when he hurt, she hurt. She knew he said he was done with Kathy, but this obviously was not something he had expected to happen and truthfully, his heart was broken.

"They were…they were…in our bed," Elliot swallowed, his fists clenched as they rest on his knees; "In our room, literally down the hall from where our fucking kids sleep…" He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut before opening again, simply staring at his hands, "I don't know how long…fuck…Liv…I…"

He suddenly dropped his head, taking a couple deep breaths; "She fucking cheated on me."

Olivia didn't know what to say really as there was nothing she could really say to make this better. All she could do was pull him into her arms, allowing him to bury his face into her shoulder as he draped his arms around him. She kissed the side of his head and rubbed the back of his neck, squeezing her eyes shut as she comforted him. Elliot was always there to comfort her when she needed it; he had always been her rock during the hard times. Now, it was her turn to be the rock that he so desperately needed.

"I don't think there's anything I can say to make this better, but I can at least say this…" she kept her voice quiet as she whispered in his ear;

"Elliot Stabler, you are a good man and you didn't deserve this. You've given everything to anyone around you, and now it's time for you to move on and be happy – do something for _you._ If she couldn't see how amazing you really are and had to further screw it up by hurting you, then she never deserved you at all. I got you, and I will always be here for you because you really are my best friend, and I am proud of you; always will be."

There was nothing more to be said. Elliot simply nodded his head and mumbled a _'thank you, Liv'_ before clinging to her even more. Olivia gave a small smile and squeezed him tight, holding him in her arms, comforting him as best she could.

He was _everything_ to her, and she would always have his back.

* * *

Elliot and Olivia stayed up for quite a while and ended up falling asleep at opposite ends of the sofa after nursing a couple beers to take their minds off things. Kathy had called Elliot a few times throughout the night, but Elliot ignored every call and ended up texting Kathleen to at least check in to make sure she and her siblings were alright. He was able to relax when Kathleen assured him that they were fine, and obviously having Olivia around helped him to relax a little bit more. She hadn't urged him to talk much about he was feeling, and instead allowed him to open up to her little by little. They ended up watching a film as well, only to then fall asleep as they were both tired after the day they'd both had.

Elliot jumped awake some hours later, the only light now being from the dim glow of the television which displayed some random late night infomercial. He reached for his phone on the coffee table to check the time, which indicated that it was now just after four in the morning. He then glanced towards the other end of the sofa and found Olivia curled up on her side with the fluffy white throw blanket over her, lost in the land of sleep, looking so comfortable that Elliot simply watched her.

She looked peaceful. Her face wasn't showing signs that she was having a nightmare; she was simply resting. She looked so beautiful. Her face was free of makeup, showing off her natural beauty. Her plump lips were outed ever so slightly, and her eyelashes were long and beautiful as they danced along the top of her cheeks. The soft, glossy brunette locks were tied back into a ponytail; the dark color contrasted perfectly against the white covers that were pulled up to her hoodie clad shoulder.

Elliot couldn't stop staring at her. She looked so fucking beautiful.

The events of the day and now watching Olivia led him back to Kathy's earlier question; _'Are you in love with Olivia?'_. He was wondering if Kathy asked that to justify her own actions, or maybe she had picked up on something that he hadn't quite come to terms with. Despite being hurt by Kathy's actions as he really hadn't expected her to do that, maybe this happened for a reason. He was on his way out of the marriage anyway, but this was the push.

And maybe it was pushing him towards the woman that had been in his life for so long now.

Twenty years. That was a long time. Their friendship had so many twists and turns and ups and downs. They knew each other inside out, finished each other's sentences constantly. Olivia was one woman who wasn't intimidated by his temper; they could fight, he could lose it, and she wouldn't flinch. They could cut each other deep, but as quickly as they'd have a squabble, they could make up again with an apology and some Chinese take out. Olivia drove him crazy, but fuck, he wouldn't have it any other way because just like she made him crazy, she made him happy.

He glanced at her again. He cursed himself. He could've had _her_ a few years ago, but he slipped up and went to the comfort and familiarity of his wife. He loved Eli, but the kids were right – everyone was right – he and Kathy would have never been together had she not gotten pregnant with Eli.

He still remembered that hurt look in Olivia's eyes when he told her Kathy was pregnant. She smiled and said she was happy for him, but he could see it in her eyes – she was hurt. And for a long time, he didn't understand why she had been so hurt but now, he was realizing why.

And it fucking frightened him just as much as it excited him.

But first, he wanted to get this divorce done. He wondered if he could get a quickie divorce. The sooner he got that done, the sooner he could move on to who he was probably meant to be with all along.

The sound of Olivia groaning captured his attention and snapped him from his thoughts. He maneuvered around so that his feet were on the floor, and he leaned over to gently stroke her arm to wake her up as he didn't want to startle her.

"Liv…Livia."

She grumbled something inaudible, but soon opened her eyes and blinked a couple times. She had a confused look on her face as she looked around, but then she suddenly gained her bearings and flicked her gaze to him. He gave her a small smile, gently stroking her bicep with his thumb. She gave him a sleepy smile before letting out a yawn and stretching her arms over her head.

"What time is it?"

"It's like four in the morning," he helped her to sit up, keeping his arm draped around her; "Go to bed; it's your day off isn't it?"

"The first of four days off," she yawned yet again before turning, placing her hand on his shoulder, "It's your day off too is it not?"

"No; I'm going to work," he stood up slowly and helped her to stand as well; "I know I should probably stay in, but I just…I need to work."

"Elliot, you know your Captain wouldn't mind if you stayed in." Olivia pointed out, her eyes following him as he maneuvered around her to grab the remote. He pressed the button to flick the television off, before wrapping his arm around her waist again to lead her to her room.

"I know, but I want to work," he sighed before continuing, "Besides, I still need to catch the son of a bitch that raped you."

"Elliot, you need to focus on yourself."

"Liv, I need to help you and those other girls, first," he pulled back the covers of her bed once they reached her room; "Just trust me…I'll be fine."

Olivia sighed as she lowered herself down onto her bed and swung her legs under the covers. Elliot was about to tuck her in, but she stopped him by grabbing hold of his arm;

"You'll be careful right?"

"Of course, I will." he pulled the covers over her and tucked her in, reminding Olivia of a time a couple years earlier when he had done the same thing after visiting her when she was sick with the flu. He leaned down and kissed her forehead in a protective manner, before flicking off the bedside lamp.

"Get some more sleep, Benson; goodnight."

Olivia smiled, her eyes locking with his blue ones even in the darkness of the room; "Goodnight, Stabler."

Elliot chuckled before leaving the room, closing the door halfway behind him. He made his way to the guest room and plonked himself down onto the bed before laying on top of the covers, moving his hands to rest behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. He knew sleep would not come again as his mind was swirling with a wide variety of thoughts.

But most of the thoughts were clear, because they were about a certain brunette woman who would finally be his…and hopefully, the wait wouldn't be too much longer.

* * *

Olivia awoke again to the sound of her apartment buzzer which was irritatingly floating throughout the apartment. She groaned and rolled out of bed, grumbling to herself and ready to punch whoever was waking her up out of her sleep. After all, it was only nine in the morning and after the hellish few days she'd had at work lately, she needed all the rest possible. She maneuvered her way through the apartment and went to the door to check the peephole.

A confused frown came across her face when she saw who it was; Maureen. She undid the locks and tugged the door open;

"Maureen – hey honey." she greeted, stepping aside to allow the eldest of the Stabler children in. She had known Maureen since the young woman was a toddler, and they had always been pretty close; maybe not as close as Olivia was to say Kathleen as they were like peas in a pod, but still close enough that Maureen would go to Olivia if she needed anything. They had a pretty good relationship, which was yet another thing that Kathy hated.

"Hey Liv, I'm sorry – did I wake you up?" Maureen sweetly asked as she stepped into the apartment, giving the older woman an apologetic look.

"Oh, honey don't you worry; you and your siblings are the only ones I don't mind being woken up by," Olivia smirked as she closed and locked the door; "Please, sit down. Do you want anything to eat or drink? I think I have some bagels I can pop into the toaster and I have orange juice or water."

"I'm okay, Liv; I promise…" the blonde paused for a second before looking at the brunette; "I just had some free time since I don't have class until this afternoon, and I just…I wanted to talk with you."

"Okay, no worries," Olivia joined her on the sofa, turning slightly to face her; "What's the matter?"

"Katie called me late last night, and told me about our Mom," Maureen sighed, running her hand through her hair, "I guess now we know why she was accusing Dad; to cover her own ass."

"Mo-"

"I don't get why she would do this; Dad is a great man – always has been, even when he had to be working all the time and would miss things because he was making the streets me and my siblings walk on just a little bit safer," Maureen continued speaking, her blue eyes flicking to the brown ones belonging to Olivia; "I just never fucking expected this to happen, Liv; and I'm so fucking mad."

"Mo calm down honey; please calm down." Olivia told her. She grabbed a couple tissues from the box on the coffee table and handed them over, just in time as a couple tears slipped down Maureen's cheeks.

"He told us they were getting divorced, and I'm glad they are," Maureen sniffled a bit, before looking into Olivia's eyes once more;

"I know you and Dad have always been friends, but we also know that you and Dad both feel something that's getting too big to ignore. So, Liv, _when_ it does happen between you and Dad, I want you guys to just be happy and not worry about Mom or the bullshit."

"Maureen, slow down sweetheart; I don't even know if anything will happen between me and your Dad, we're just really good friends." Olivia pointed out, keeping her hand on the young woman's arm.

"Liv, I see how Dad looks at you and how you look at him; you both do it even if you don't realize it," Maureen gave a raised eyebrow before continuing; "The point is, I just want you guys to be happy and I want you to know that none of us have ever blamed you; we all love you. Plus, we know you will be the one to help Dad through this, and you'd never hurt him like she has done."

Olivia was at a loss for words. She wondered how much Elliot's older children had picked up on between her and their father. Hearing Maureen's kind words now, however, did put her a little more at ease though, and as much as she was trying to fight what she felt, she couldn't help but feel that this was some sort of blessing; as if Maureen was showing that they would be okay if her and their father were to pursue some sort of relationship.

"Mo, you know me and your father never-"

"We know," Maureen cut her off with a wave of her hand; "We always knew; Mom was the one…" She rolled her eyes and scoffed; "I just don't get why she's been picking fights with Dad so much over these last few weeks if she was cheating; it's ridiculous."

"I don't get it either, Maureen, I really don't," Olivia sighed before rubbing her arm; "You sure you're okay though?"

"Besides being pissed at my mother, I'm great," Maureen then threw her arms around Olivia, hugging her tightly; "Thanks for always being there for us, by the way."

Olivia hugged her back, squeezing her tightly; "Always."

Maureen hung around for a little while longer, and the conversation switched to a lighter topic, such as how she was doing in school and how excited she was for senior year. She mentioned how she was planning to go to medical school as soon as she finished her undergraduate studies, and Olivia promised to help her in any way she could. The conversation switched to other aspects such as the latest movies and music, and Olivia promised Maureen that as soon as things settled a bit, that she would contact her and her sisters, so they could all get together and have a girls day, which Maureen of course loved the idea of.

Maureen left about an hour later – of course, after hugging the life out of Olivia once again. Just as Olivia closed and locked the door, her phone buzzed from where she'd left it on the coffee table the night before. She snatched it up and looked at the screen; she had a new message from Elliot. She swiped across and unlocked her phone, and her eyes went wide when she read the message;

' _Elliot: 10:14am – Made an arrest; think we got the guy who raped you'_

Maybe _that_ nightmare was finally over.

* * *

 ** _I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please, leave some reviews. Until next time...xoxo_**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm here with Chapter 15! Elliot interrogates the man who they believe is responsible, and it does not go well. Also, he and Olivia have a chat...sort of.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 15**

Mark Weber.

This was the man that the Manhattan Special Victims Unit had finally tied to their two current rape cases and the two cold ones from over a year earlier. He looked exactly the same as the sketch that had been drawn from Olivia's description, and his description matched those of the previous victims whose cases had run cold. The only difference was that his hair had obviously been dyed, but other than that, it was the same person.

Elliot was simply standing in his boss's office, watching through the two-way mirror. His arms were folded across his chest, his jaw was tensed, and his blue eyes were burning holes through the skull of the man currently sitting in the interrogation room at the table, looking around the room as if he didn't have a care in the world.

He and Fin had picked up the slime bag just twenty minutes ago; they spotted him casually walking the streets, headed towards an apartment building. They had already learned his name after showing the picture of the detailed sketch around over the last week or so, and when they approached him, he took off running. The two managed to catch up with him after a block of running, and after a bit of a struggle, they managed to cuff him and drag him back to their car. Once back at the precinct, Fin had tossed him into an interrogation room before heading off to get the file while Elliot stood watching him from the two-way mirror in Cragen's office.

So, this was the son of a bitch that had raped Olivia and _thought_ he was going to get away with it? Elliot smirked to himself. He was about to interrogate the bastard, and he couldn't wait.

"You're not going in there, Elliot."

And just like that, his bubble was burst.

He turned, spotting Cragen staring at him with a raised eyebrow. He rolled his eyes, relaxing his jaw a bit as he tilted his head and squinted his eyes in curiosity.

"Why?"

"You know why." Cragen gave him a knowing look. Elliot sighed; he knew that Cragen was partly right, but he refused to miss up the chance to interrogate this piece of garbage.

"With all do respect, Cap, I can put my feelings aside and do my job." he pointed out, glancing back into the interrogation room.

"I don't doubt that, but you're too close and you know it," Cragen placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing Elliot to turn and face him again; "Son, we're talking about a man who hurt the woman who's been your best friend for years, who you're extremely close to; I just don't think it's the best idea for you to question him."

"I'll be fine, Cap; I swear." Elliot assured him. At that moment, Fin walked back into the room and together, the two partners made their way into the interrogation room. Cragen sighed, watching them from the other side of the mirror, praying that Elliot really would be able to control himself.

"Mark Weber," Fin began as he sat down in the chair across from the man, "We've got some problems with you, my man."

"I can't imagine what problems you might have." Mark replied, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned back in his own chair.

"You sure you don't wanna call your lawyer?" Fin asked. Mark scoffed, shaking his head.

"I've done nothing so there's no need to call him," he eyed the two detectives, the one in the chair across from him and the one standing to the side of the table with his arms folded; "What is this about?"

"Ran because of the meth in your pocket?" Elliot asked, circling the table.

"Maybe, and I got freaked out when I saw you guys." Mark replied with a simple shrug of the shoulders.

"Or you ran because you know you're connected to some date rapes." Elliot chimed in. Mark turned, frowning at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about, so I suggest we move this along." He shrugged again before looking away. His arrogance was pissing Elliot off, but he was trying as hard as he could to keep himself together so Cragen wouldn't pull him out.

"Yeah right," Fin opened the folder and spread out photos of the victims, Olivia included; "You know these women?"

Mark swallowed, before shaking his head; "I might."

"It's a yes or a no." Elliot spoke, tilting his head to the side. He was watching Mark intently; eyeing his every move, waiting for him to give it up and screw himself up.

"I might have met them a few times in clubs," Mark ran his fingers over a photo of the first victim; "I remember their faces; beautiful girls – I remember, brought them drinks."

"And raped them." Fin pointed out.

"Oh no, I've not raped anyone," Mark smoothed the sleeves as he spoke; "Now I will admit, we did have a little drunken sex in the alley – totally consensual." He leaned back in the chair again.

"Oh wow, Elliot; consensual," Fin glanced up at his partner before looking back into the gray eyes of the arrogant man sitting across from him; "So why are they accusing you of rape?"

"Detectives, you know what happens when women have some regrets," Mark let out a chuckle, running his hand over his chin, "Of course they cry rape after they regret, but it was consensual." He was eyeing the photos of the women once again, but he made a big mistake when his eyes lingered on a brown eyed brunette – the third victim.

Elliot watched him intently, his jaw tensing. Mark's eyes were lingering on the photo of Olivia.

He rolled his sleeves up as the vein in his neck began pulsating; the anger was starting to bubble.

"So, how do you explain the bruises and bite marks on the women then?" Fin asked. He spread some more photos out, these ones now being of injuries the women sustained during the assault.

"They liked it rough."

"And the GHB?" Fin asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mark shrugged before picking up the photo of Olivia; "I definitely remember her, she was a cutie – her skin was soft; she couldn't wait for us to get to my place, so we were right there in the alley, against the wall."

Elliot swallowed. He'd had more than enough. He stalked over and snatched the photo from Mark's hand before perching himself on the table.

"Enough," he told him before looking him in the eye; "You drugged these girls and you raped them, and we're gonna prove it; we've got a warrant to search your place and officers are there now, the injuries these women sustained are consistent with rape, and we're gonna throw your ass in jail."

Mark's lips curled into a smirk; "Detective, you got pretty testy when I was talking about that brunette," He nodded his head at the photo of Olivia, "You know her? Hot piece of ass, isn't she?"

Elliot glared at him, clenching his fists before standing up again. He was trying his hardest to stay calm, but Mark was pushing his buttons and he was seconds from slamming the prick against the wall.

"This isn't about me, this is about you," he suddenly whirled around, getting into the Mark's face; "You butter women up, maybe slip a little something into their drinks, so they don't fight as much, then you rape them because you can't get a woman to submit to you, you spineless sack of shit."

"Shut up."

"That is why you rape isn't it? Because you want control."

"I said shut up."

"Elliot." Fin tried to jump in. He knew his partner was about to blow his lid, and he had to try and diffuse this as quickly as possible.

"You can claim consent all you want, but we all know what really happened and what you did to those women," Elliot glared at him, his voice raising as he spoke to the arrogant man in the chair, "What's funny is that they're all nurses at hospitals all across this city; your ex was a nurse, wasn't she?"

"You know nothing about her." Mark snarled, glaring at the man.

"We pulled up the divorce records, we know," Elliot remarked, "You physically abused and raped her, but she still left your sorry ass and since then, you've felt powerless."

"Shut the hell up."

"So since then, you've stalked out nurses and raped them to feel that power again that you felt over her."

Mark looked down, before looking back up again, the arrogance taking over again; "Why are you so angry? Is it because I'm getting some ass from those cuties and you aren't?"

And just like that, Elliot snapped.

He grabbed Mark by the back of his shirt and slammed him face first against the wall, holding him there as he spoke;

"You son of a bitch, I'll throw your ass in a hole myself. You raped my best friend, broke her fucking spirit, and you think you can joke about it?"

He delivered a powerful punch to Mark's gut, causing the arrogance to fade and for the man to double over as the wind was knocked out of him;

"I ought to beat the shit out of you right now."

"Elliot!" he heard Fin saying his name and felt his partner grab hold of his arms, trying to pull him off. He pushed Fin away and threw Mark to the ground. He was all prepared to deliver a punch to Mark's jaw, when a stern voice filtered through his ear;

"Stabler – my office, now!"

He turned; Cragen was poking his head into the interrogation room and he looked pissed. He shot one last glare at the crumpled heap that was Mark Weber on the floor, before storming past Cragen and into the office. Cragen closed the door behind him before looking at him.

"I knew I shouldn't have let you in there," he told him, "You're out, I'm sending Munch in there."

"I'm fine, Cap!"

"You're not," Cragen retorted, "Look, go home; you still have some days – go home."

"I'm going back in there to finish-"

"That was an order, Detective!"

Elliot turned, glaring at him. Without another word, he stormed out of the office and over to his desk. He had just pulled on his jacket and grabbed his phone and keys, when he spotted Amanda coming back in with an evidence bag.

"Found the GHB," she held up one bag that contained some tablets, then held up another; "And a notebook, detailing the rapes. He's done."

She then took in his appearance; "You alright?"

"Cragen's sending me home," he shook it off; "Listen, call me if anything changes."

"Got it." Amanda replied. Elliot nodded before walking away, taking a few deep breaths.

Maybe leaving was the best. He needed to go home – _to Olivia._

* * *

Olivia was awakened from her nap by the sound of the buzzer; the noise was filtering through the apartment, causing an irritated groan to escape her lips. Following Maureen's visit earlier and the text from Elliot, she had needed to clear her head, so she went for a jog. After returning, she showered and changed into yoga bottoms and a t-shirt, and had laid on the sofa with the intention of watching a film. Instead, she ended up falling asleep as she was still quite tired.

She rubbed her eyes and pushed herself up from the sofa, before making her way over to the intercom and pressing the button;

"Hello?"

There was a bit of a crackling sound over the intercom then she heard; _"It's just me, Liv; let me up."_

Elliot.

She pressed the button then unlocked her door and tugged it open. She leaned against the door frame and waited, and after a few moments, she spotted Elliot rushing down the hall towards her. She gave him a smile and stepped aside so that he could come in, before then closing and locking the door once again.

"What are you doing here? It's only just after eleven or something." She raised an eyebrow, watching as he pulled off his suit jacket and tossed it onto the back of the sofa.

"Cragen sent me home." He shrugged, speaking as if this was a normal thing.

Olivia sighed and rolled her eyes. It was rare that Elliot was sent home, which only meant something happened during the interrogation.

"You interrogated him, didn't you? The guy?" she spoke as she moved to the kitchen area and grabbed them both a bottle of water.

"Yup."

Olivia returned to the sofa and sat down beside him; "You hit him – didn't you?"

"Might have gotten a little rough with him."

"Elliot!"

"Liv, he was being a smug bastard and it pissed me off," Elliot groaned, running his hand down his face; "He claimed it was consensual, but-"

"It wasn't fucking consensual, I would have never agreed to sex against in an alley with a stranger!" A horrified look came across Olivia's face and Elliot swore he saw some tears well up in the brown orbs. He looped an arm around her, pulling her into a hug and rubbing her back.

"I know, Livia, I know…let me finish," He delicately kissed her forehead before continuing; "He claims but he was starting to give himself away, but he didn't exactly confess before Cragen pulled me out. Munch was going back in there with Fin, and Amanda and the other guys searched Mark's place and found the GHB and a notebook that had details of the rapes."

"So…what does all this mean?" Olivia quietly asked, lifting her head from his shoulder.

"It means this is another step closer to being over," he brushed some hair behind her ear, "You might be called in to ID him from a line up, and then, we can see what happens from there."

Olivia nodded, before looking at him again; "Got my back?"

"Always." Elliot replied, nodding his head. Olivia nodded, before leaning her head back on his shoulder, relaxing as he gently rubbed her arm with his thumb.

The two sat in silence for a while; they watched some daytime television while relaxing on the sofa together. Olivia didn't know what was happening at the moment between her and Elliot. All she knew was that she was content in being cuddled up in his arm, and it was obvious that he didn't mind either as he was holding her and constantly stroking her arm. She didn't miss how his left hand was bare now either; it seemed that the gold band that kept their boundaries in place was gone and now, everything was blurred, but in a beautiful way. She didn't know what would happen, didn't even really know if he saw her like that – even though she had an idea of such.

Either way, whatever was destined to happen next, she couldn't wait.

"Maureen came by this morning."

They had been sitting in silence for a little over an hour, and Elliot actually thought she had fallen asleep. Her statement shocked him, and he moved a bit to look at her while she sat up properly to look at him.

"What?"

"She did," Olivia nodded, "She didn't have class this morning, so she came by to talk. Katie told her, and she's pissed at Kathy."

"I knew she would be," Elliot shrugged; "Maureen has witnessed the fights and accusations too; she never believed it, but it's just…constant accusations to cover her own ass."

"That's what's pissed Maureen off; not just because she knows Kathy hurt you, but she just couldn't wrap her head around how she was constantly accusing you because of what she was doing."

"I'm gonna call her…Maureen, I mean." Elliot remarked with a sigh. Olivia nodded, before focusing her attention back on the television. Elliot took a swig from his bottle of water while eyeing his friend. He knew there was something she was leaving out.

"You're leaving something out," his voice captured her attention, leading her to turn her head and look at him; "What is it?"

"I'm not leaving anything out." She responded with a wave of her hand.

"You are," Elliot grabbed her wrist gently as she turned to look at him again; "Tell me."

Olivia paused for a second; "Nothing…she said you told them about the survive and she was glad of it," she shrugged, fiddling with the hem of the t-shirt she was wearing, "And she just…she just gave us her blessing, _if_ something were to happen between us…me and you, because she says we've been ignoring the _thing_ between us."

Elliot froze for a second. Olivia wasn't looking at him as she said the statement, but he knew her attention wasn't focused on the television either. He knew this was something they probably needed to talk about, and really, now wasn't the most ideal time. But, since it had basically been presented to them and pushed into their faces courtesy of Maureen, maybe they should.

"Liv-"

"Don't, El; Maureen is wrong," Olivia shrugged, moving further down closer to the other end of the sofa; "We're just friends, me and you; we're just friends and we'll always have some special bond between us. People have been saying shit like _this_ about us for years but no, we're just friends and I think Maureen just got her wrong vibe, and-"

"Olivia!"

She stopped talking at the sound of him using her actual name. She turned to him and was taken aback when he gently grabbed hold of her wrist and gave a slight tug, leading her to shuffle closer and sit beside him as he gazed into her eyes.

"What if Maureen didn't get the wrong vibe?"

He slid an arm around her waist. The air shifted in the room, and she felt like her heart was about to leap out of her throat as he spoke again;

"What if I don't want to be _just friends_ with you?"

She almost fucking fainted.

* * *

 ** _I hope you all enjoyed this little update. I enjoyed writing it. Leave some reviews; I'll try not to leave it too long before I update again. Until next time...xoxo_**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi guys!**

 **I'm here with Chapter 16. Finally, Elliot and Olivia have a much needed heart to hear. Maureen drops by as well, and gets to talk to her father and see him and Olivia together. That's all I'm telling youuuu!**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 16**

" _What if I don't want to be just friends with you?"_

The words were playing in Olivia's mind over and over as if they were on a loop. Elliot Stabler, her married best friend of twenty years, had really just spoke those words to her? She almost fainted. She didn't know what to say or think. She just couldn't believe that he had actually just spoke those words, that he had actually just implied that he wanted more than a friendship with her.

She swallowed nervously and looked up at him, searching his eyes for any indication that this was some sort of joke. She was waiting for him to laugh, to say he was just messing with her. But that was not the case. The cobalt blue eyes were shining as he gazed intently at her – he was serious about those words, and now that he had actually said it, it made everything that she had been feeling for a while suddenly become a lot more real.

She couldn't pretend anymore – could she?

"Elliot…no…you…" she paused for a second, trying to find the words to say; "You're reeling from the fallout with Kathy; you don't really want to go there with-"

"Oh my God," Elliot groaned, rubbing his hand over his face, "Liv, do you really think I would have said those words to you if I wasn't serious or _sure_?"

She didn't know how to respond. She simply stared at him, her brown eyes pouring into his blue ones.

"Christ, Liv; you really have had no idea?" He rubbed his hand over his head, squeezing his eyes shut for a second before continuing;

"Olivia, why do you think I'm not fighting for my marriage anymore – besides the obvious shit? Remember all the times lately where I've said that if I hadn't knocked her up, I could've been divorced and with someone a million times better? Olivia…that person is _you._ "

"Elliot-"

"I love Eli, God knows I do, but you have no idea how much I have regretted that night that I went back to her after that tough case at work. Everything was screaming at me to come to you, but I was scared…scared that you'd either reject me, or you'd leave if you knew how deep my feelings were for you. She was just _there,_ and I fell into it – the comfort zone, and then she wanted me to come home and I was trying to figure out every way to tell her I wasn't coming back, but then she said she was pregnant and-"

"And you didn't have a choice." She let out a sigh.

"Exactly," Elliot tilted his head; "Olivia, listen…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for springing this on you, and I do understand if you don't see me like that, but I just…you gotta know, Liv…it's been like this for a long time, the things I feel for you aren't new. You really have always made me happy, and you make me laugh constantly. I can be myself with you and…damn…you just make me want to be a better man constantly."

"How long?" She quietly asked.

"At least for the last…three or four years maybe," he held a hand up as she opened her mouth to speak; "I know I should have said something, but I was just scared; I didn't want to ruin our friendship and I wanted to be completely done with Kathy before anything happened, and then I made the mistakes and-"

"Elliot."

The sound of her voice saying his name and the feeling of her finger pressed against his lips was enough to stop him from talking. He flicked his gaze to her face once again; she was giving him the shy smile that made her look so adorable, and her eyes were staring into his once again, shimmering like glossy pools of melted chocolate.

"I'm glad you didn't say it then, because I don't think it was the right time – you were going through a lot emotionally, I had some things going on because I just broken up with Porter, if you remember him; so…it was too much at that time, for both of us…"

She then moved her finger from his lips, then took hold of his hand;

"I do appreciate you finally telling me now, but it scares me because…because I feel the same. I've had feelings for you for a long time, deep feelings that make me so excited but frighten me at the same time. I look at you and everything's better; you're like my safety net, you make me smile and laugh constantly. All that is great, but it scares me too."

"Why does it scare you, Liv?" He asked, tilting his head to the side in curiosity. He tried not to make out that he was ready to panic, but he knew how she was when things got serious. She would get scared and push it away; he'd seen it happen, but he hoped she wouldn't push him out.

"Because I don't know how to do _relationships_ ; I get scared of people getting too close and discovering things about me. I'm scared that once they do, they'll just think I'm screwed up and they'll leave."

Elliot furrowed his brow in confusion, but then he remembered that there were some things that Olivia had never talked about in regard to her past before moving to New York. He knew there was some stories there – she had some permanent reminders that he had seen – but she'd never told him the stories, despite their twenty years of friendship.

"You know I would never, _ever_ , walk away from you." He told her. She nodded, looking up at him.

"It scares me because I trust you so much, I believe that," she shrugged, "But I also know that I can be a little much, and if I screwed up and lost you, I would lose everything that truly mattered to me and I wouldn't be able to cope with it."

"Olivia, look at me."

She lifted her gaze from their hands; her brown orbs poured into the swirls of blue that were staring back at her. She saw twenty years of laughter and disagreements, years of watching bad movies and having beer, years of hugs and forehead kisses and inside jokes – _everything_.

But what made her heart skip a beat, was the love and sincerity and a future unknown, all mixed up in the shade of cobalt blue that had become her anchor during the darkest times.

His deep voice hit her ears, sincerity dripping from every word;

"Olivia Margaret Benson, _nothing_ you tell me could ever make the feelings I have for you go away, nothing you do could make them go away. _You_ are what I have always wanted, and I don't care what the hell we go through, we will get through it together because goddammit…I…fuck…I love you."

She swallowed the lump in her throat as a couple tears slipped down her cheeks. Sincerity and true love were all she saw. She didn't think about what anyone would say, she didn't think about Kathy Stabler, she didn't think about anything. All she thought about were the words that she meant with every fucking fiber of her entire being.

"Elliot…I love you too."

And she felt like her breath had been taken away, when his lips crashed against hers, sweeping her up in a wave of passion.

* * *

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

Elliot grumbled at the sound of his phone beeping away from its spot on the coffee table. He opened his eyes and rubbed his hand over them, unaware that he had even fallen asleep. Following his and Olivia's revelations to one another earlier, they had cuddled up for a bit and he had fallen asleep due to being quite tired. He did now realize that Olivia was no longer laying with him on the sofa, leading him to furrow his brow in confusion as he wondered where she was.

"Liv!"

"Yeah?"

He looked up, spotting her coming down the hallway, dressed in a pair of jeans and one of his sweatshirts that she had stolen some years back. Her hair was in a ponytail and her face was free of make up; she looked like a glowing goddess and he simply stared for moment before composing himself.

"Where you off to?"

"A meeting for work," she rolled her eyes as she perched herself on the edge of the sofa; "Casey's on her way to pick me up; it's like two-thirty now and it starts at three. Apparently, me and Kathy's actions were frowned upon, so the staff has a meeting with our supervisor."

"You didn't even do anything though." He pointed out.

"I know, but I guess because I was involved…" she shrugged before rubbing his arm; "Anyway, it shouldn't take long so I'll bring dinner home from that Indian place we love."

"I'm down with that idea." He smiled. He leaned up to kiss her, only to groan when his phone beeped once again, reminding him of the unopened message. He grabbed the device and swiped his finger across the screen, opening the message from Fin;

 _Fin: 2:32pm – Hours later and this prick has now lawyered up, only after going silent for over an hour. Being represented by Langan. See if Liv can come ID this asswipe from a line up; me and Rollins are gonna talk to the other vics._

Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak again, he watched Olivia glance at her phone then stand up. She grabbed her small wallet to stuff into the deep pocket of her jeans, before then leaning down and kissing him.

" _Mmm…_ I'll see you later," she mumbled before kissing him again; "I love you."

It felt so good to hear her say that; he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"I love you too."

He stood up and walked her to the door, then after one more kiss, she was out the door and he closed it again, turning the locks once he'd done so. He then let out a deep sigh, thinking about Fin's message which remained open on his phone screen.

He knew Olivia still had a long way to go, but she had been doing alright so far. He knew her identification of the perp was important, and he just hoped that it wouldn't set her back completely as he didn't want to see her crumble.

But he also knew that no matter what happened, he was staying by her side. She meant the world to him, and if he could help it, she would never fall again.

As the afternoon rolled on, Elliot took a shower and changed out of his work clothes finally; he now wore some sweatpants and an NYPD t-shirt. He took some time to phone the kids as well, and he was truly glad that Kathy was at the meeting at the hospital so that he could freely speak to his children without her interfering. His heart broke a little bit when Eli's little voice spoke down the phone with a simple; _"Daddy come home?",_ though he wasgrateful thatKathleen stepped in and told the toddler that they would come to Olivia's soon to see Dad, which led to Eli excitedly squealing _Livie_ and clapping his hands which made Elliot chuckle as he listened down the phone. After speaking to the children at the house and telling them that he loved them, he then decided to call Maureen. After a couple rings, she answered;

" _Hi Daddy!"_

"Hey Mo, you doing okay?" He replied.

" _I'm good Dad, I'm just sitting outside the building where my next class is,"_ he listened as she paused for a moment to speak to someone that was passing by; _"Are you okay, Daddy? How long will you be at work? It's like..."_ brief pause... _"It's like four-thirty now, my class starts at five and is over at six-thirty so will you still be at work? I can pick up something to eat and come see you at he precinct."_

"Missing your old man? You just saw me last night, kid." Elliot joked as he laid across the sofa again.

" _Yeah, but that was before I found out what mother had done, so now I really do need to see you to make sure you're actually okay,"_ Maureen replied before asking; _"So, how long will you be at work?"_

Elliot simply chucked. Maureen was so much like him; it was unreal.

"I'm not at work; got a little rough with a perp so Cragen sent me home earlier," he sighed as he thought about it, before continuing; "I'm at Liv's, so you can just come here if you want to, or-"

" _Perfect, I'll come to Liv's."_ Maureen cut him off, which made him chuckle as he rolled his eyes.

The father and daughter chatted for a little while longer; the conversation switched to Maureen and the things she had done all day. Elliot just felt better from hearing her voice. It amazed him how great of a job he and Kathy had done with her, as despite her being born when they were only seventeen years old, they had done good and she had grown into a very smart, sophisticated, remarkable young woman. There was one thing that he did actually love about Kathy – he loved how much of an amazing, wonderful mother she had been to their children.

Elliot and Maureen ended their call once she had reached her class safely, and he told her not to bother bringing any food as he and Olivia were planning to order dinner anyway. Once he hung up, he relaxed on the sofa, allowing the events of the late morning and early afternoon to properly sink in as he lay there.

He and Olivia had actually revealed their feelings for one another and shared a passionate kiss, once that swept him up and made him feel things that his own wife had never, ever made him feel. Olivia was like a drug, something that he couldn't get enough of already. He just longed for more of her, but he would go at her pace because she was worth the wait. He knew there was a lot to figure out and things were bound to be an adventure, but there was no one else he wanted to be on this crazy rollercoaster with that the brown eyed, brunette, badass that was his best friend.

And now his lover, of course.

And he prayed that it would stay that way – _forever._

* * *

A short while later, Maureen had arrived at Olivia's apartment and was currently chatting away with her father. They'd been talking about Kathy; Maureen expressed her anger towards the woman but explained how grateful she was that they'd tried as long as they could to make it work for the sake of the kids. Elliot explained that he always tried to do right by his family and make sure everyone was safe and happy, and Maureen simply told him to worry about his own happiness now, to keep being a dad and the best dad he could be, but to be happy too. Elliot wondered when his little girl had suddenly grown up, and he found himself pulling her into a tight hug and kissing her forehead, telling her that he loved her and a thank you, for everything.

Their conversation had just switched again, and she had only just asked about Olivia, when the locks clicked, and the door swung open. Olivia walked into the apartment with bags in her hand, then kicked the door shut and locked it, before going over to the kitchen.

Elliot and Maureen exchanged a glance; Olivia looked _pissed_.

"Uh…hey Liv."

Olivia finally looked up at the sound of Maureen's voice, and her face softened slightly when she caught sight of the father and daughter that were on the sofa.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry – I'm just…fuck…three hours of bullshit," she rolled her eyes as she made her way over, and she pressed a kiss to their cheeks; "I'm sorry guys; you two okay?"

"We're good, but are you okay?" Elliot asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Let's just say, I was _very_ close to being suspended from work for a few days," Olivia rolled her eyes before looking at Maureen; "Come on sweetheart, I brought Home way too much food for two people so there's enough for you too."

Maureen thanked her before then joining her and Elliot. After Olivia got their plates and something to drink for them all, they then dished out the food onto plates before digging in. Olivia felt Elliot's hand gently rub her thigh under the table, leading her to shoot him a small smile before she then focused on eating.

They engaged in light conversation as they ate; Maureen talked about an upcoming event on campus regarding sexual assault prevention and such, and she wanted Elliot to come speak, which he agreed. She also asked Olivia to come speak in one of her classes about being a trauma nurse, and Olivia – flattered that she even asked – agreed straight away. With seeing her father and Olivia together, Maureen also asked about the nature of their relationship now, and the pair explained how they had only just told each other how they felt and that they were taking things one day at a time. Maureen simply smiled at them, her blue eyes twinkling as she expressed how happy she was that they'd finally said something. Olivia squeezed her hand, as it did feel good to hear Elliot's children were okay – well, at least Maureen was. Though, she figured the other children would be okay with it as well, but it was especially nice to know that Maureen was considering she'd known her since she was a toddler, and so Maureen had witnessed so much of her and Elliot's friendship over the years.

After having dinner and after she helped Olivia with the dishes, Maureen explained that she had to get back as she did have an assignment to finish before it got too late. After bidding Olivia farewell, the young woman grabbed her keys and headed out of the apartment with her father trailing beside her, as Elliot wanted to make sure she got out safely. They walked to her car together and Elliot opened the door for her, then Maureen turned and fell into him for a hug.

"We gotta have dinner – all of us and Olivia." She told him, squeezing him tightly.

"Definitely," Elliot kissed her head before letting go; "Mo…thanks for being okay about it, you know. I know things have been tough with your mom for a while, and I know things are changing for us all really fast, but-"

"But _nothing_ , Daddy," Maureen cut him off; "We all love Olivia, and you guys have always had this connection. You clearly make each other happy, and that's what we all want – for you guys to be happy."

Elliot nodded, giving his daughter a smile before replying; "We did a good job with you kids, I swear."

"Especially me, I'm the best," Maureen smirked as she slipped into her car; "Bye Daddy, see you later – I love you."

"I love you too and let me know when you get back to campus and in your room." Elliot replied.

"Will do!"

Elliot nodded, then closed her car door for her. He stood to the side and waited for a bit, waving as she drove off out of the parking garage. He then made his way back inside and up to the floor where Olivia's apartment was and used his spare key to slip into her apartment. He locked the doors behind him and made his way further into the apartment just as she came out of the bedroom. She had changed into some pajama shorts and a long t-shirt, leaving her tanned, toned legs on display that caused a slew of promiscuous thoughts to flow through Elliot's mind.

"Maureen get out okay?" she casually asked as she moved past him to sit down. He nodded, joining her on the sofa, draping his arm around her.

"Yeah," He breathed out, before glancing at her again; "Oh…Fin text earlier; are you okay with ID-ing the jackass that assaulted you?"

Olivia looked up at him with wide eyes. She hadn't been expecting him to say that at all, and she hadn't even thought much about what was to come of her case. However, she knew that this was another step in the healing process as well. She had to help them get this guy, and if it meant facing him head on, then so be it.

Besides, with Elliot by her side, she could do anything.

"I can do it…I can ID him."

* * *

 ** _Anddd that was that. Please, leave some reviews and let me know what you think. Until next time... xoxo_**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm back with a new chapter. I present to you chapter 17. Olivia finds the courage to identify her attacker which is great, but then someone shows up at her apartment, and well, it's not so great.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 17**

The next day brought a fresh wave of nerves for both Olivia and Elliot. They'd had a quiet breakfast of coffee and bagels together, and Elliot knew it was because Olivia was nervous about having to face her attacker again. While he was nervous for her, he was also sure that she could do it, as through it all, Olivia had a strength inside of her like no other. She was a survivor, she had been a survivor for as long as he had known her, even if he didn't know the full extent of the turbulent childhood that she hadn't talked about in all the years of their friendship. He was determined to get that out of her one day, but right now, they had to focus on the task at hand – getting the perpetrator that had hurt her and several other women off the streets.

He dressed in a crisp suit as he was going back to work – though he was pretty much desk duty for the day and if he did leave, he could only talk to victims – and Olivia dressed in a pale blue t-shirt with a pair of skinny jeans, her sneakers, and a black cardigan sweater. She did crack a smile when she noticed that their shirts were matching, leading Elliot to chuckle and kiss her forehead. They made their way out of the room and he grabbed his gun and badge along with his keys, before they then finally left the apartment together.

Once at the precinct, Elliot parked his jeep in the designated spot before turning to her. She was shaking slightly and swallowing a few times, a clear sigh that she was nervous. He closed his hand around hers, capturing her attention as she turned her head to look at him. She gave him a small smile as she stared into those blue eyes, allowing the swirls of cobalt color to bring her back to safety. She was safe. Elliot would be right there with her. She was _safe._

"I'm okay." She quietly spoke. He nodded, before leaning over and pecking her lips.

"You will be, because I'm right here," he kissed her again; "Come on, let's go inside."

He then got out of the car, before coming around and helping her out as well. He pressed the button on his keys to lock up his car, before then keeping his hand curled around the small of her back as he led her inside. They gave a wave to the security guard at the front desk, before then taking the elevator up to the second floor, where the Special Victims Unit squad room was located. Elliot gave her a supportive smile, then led her over to Fin, who stood up to greet them from his desk.

"Hey guys," he gave Elliot a hand shake before hugging Olivia; "You ready for this baby girl? You sure you're gonna be alright?"

Olivia glanced at Elliot, taking in the sight of his eyes for a second, then looked back at Fin. She nodded her head, giving him a small smile as she did so. He gave her a supportive smile as well and squeezed her arm, before he and Elliot then led her over to the area where they would be doing the photo lineup. Captain Cragen greeted them and reminded Olivia that they couldn't see her even though she could see them, and also told her to take her time and not feel pressurized. Beside him, stood a tall man with green eyes and dark hair, and Olivia concluded that this was Trevor Langan – the "scum bag defense attorney" that Elliot and Fin were always ranting about. She did notice another man standing there, which Elliot introduced as the Assistant District Attorney for the Special Victims Unit; Rafael Barba.

"Are you ready for this?" Cragen asked her. Olivia nodded, taking a deep breath. Elliot was standing to the side, watching with his arms folded. His eyes were on her, and he was silently praying to himself that she would be alright.

Olivia swallowed all the nerves she had and confidently stood up straight to look through the window. She watched as six men were led into the room and stood still, facing the window with a number in front of them. The uniformed officer was standing off to the side, prepared to step in if anyone got out of hand.

"Okay Olivia, do you see your attacker?" Cragen quietly asked.

Olivia looked through the glass, eyed all the men, and her eyes went wide at the sight of one. Even if things were foggy, she remembered his face, remembered those eyes and the shape of his lips – especially from when he was buying her drinks and talking to her, and when she was forcing himself on her against the wall. She nodded her head, taking a deep breath before answering

"Number four."

Elliot looked up from his spot in the corner and scanned through the perps, settling his gaze on number one. His eyes went wide as well;

Olivia had just identified _Mark Weber._

"You're sure?" Cragen asked. Olivia nodded, looking between him and back to the fourth person again.

"That's him – number four; he raped me."

Cragen nodded before taping the glass four times. He then told Olivia she had done a great job, before then allowing Elliot to lead her out of the room so they could bring the next victim in. Elliot stopped briefly, enough to tell Amanda that he was going to take Olivia back home, before he then left the squad room with her. They took the elevator to the ground floor and headed outside, and as soon as they were out on the side walk, Elliot instantly pulled her into a hug. She clung to him and let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding, and her shoulders shook slightly, a sign that she was crying.

"Shhh…it's okay, Liv; shhh." Elliot soothed, raking his fingers through her brunette locks. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he held her as tight as he could.

"His face…" she breathed, still holding him as tight as she could as her face remained against his chest, "I won't forget his face, Elliot." She lifted her head to look at him; "What now?" She was trying to be strong about this, but there were glistening tears still on her cheeks.

"And now we wait," he wiped the tears away with his thumb before pressing a kiss to her forehead; "We see what happens – if he still tries to play the _consensual_ card, then you might have to go to trial, but if not – if he just decides to plead guilty – maybe we can spare at trial."

He then cupped her chin in his hand, stroking his thumb against her lip as he looked into her eyes;

"But no matter what happens, I am _right here –_ and I am not going anywhere."

Olivia nodded, before standing on her toes to kiss him yet again. She swayed in his arms as they kissed, before finally pulling away.

"I love you."

He smiled at her, stroking her cheek;

"I love you too."

He then led her to his Jeep so that he could take her back home again. He was unaware that a blonde, whom had been walking towards the precinct in hopes of seeing him, had seen the whole thing between the two of them and was now seething in anger. She should have known that he would run straight to the brunette especially after everything had happened, but she was still angry about it.

She turned on her heel and rushed back to her own car. She would follow him, and as soon as he left, she would go up to the apartment and talk to the brunette, and hopefully tell her to stay away from Elliot.

* * *

"Wave to me when you get inside."

Olivia rolled her eyes, smirking as she looked at Elliot. They had just pulled up to her apartment building and she had told him time and time again that he didn't need to walk her inside, to just drop her off then go back to work. Elliot hesitated, but eventually agreed, though he still wanted to know that she was safe.

"I'm sure you'll sit out here until you do because you're a stubborn son of a bitch." She tilted her head, smirking.

"I am, and I will," he leaned over, kissing her yet again; "I'll call you when I'm on my way home; I'll bring dinner."

Olivia smiled at him, feeling her heart beat faster when he said _home._ It was nice that he considered her apartment his home, and something about that just felt so right that for once, she wasn't even freaked out about it.

"Okay." She quietly spoke, still smiling at him. She leaned over and kissed him again, before getting out of the car finally and heading inside. She made her way upstairs to her apartment and went inside, then went over to the window and looked out. Elliot was still waiting outside, and she smirked to herself when she could see him peering out his windshield and looking up at her apartment. She simply let out a laugh and waved, even blew a couple kisses, and he blinked his lights to show he'd seen her before driving off. She rolled her eyes and pulled her curtains back, before then making her way over to the kitchen to tidy up from their small breakfast they had.

She was unaware that someone was parking their car and would soon be on their way up to talk to her.

She had just finished tidying up the kitchen area and had just gone into her room to gather up her laundry that needed to be done when she heard a knock on her apartment door. She dropped her basket onto her bed, before making her way through the apartment and to the door. She checked the peephole and immediately furrowed her brow in confusion;

What the hell did Kathy want?

She tugged the door open just a bit as the chain was still on the door. The blonde-haired woman was standing there staring at her, with a look on her face that didn't at all sit well with Olivia. She was already feeling a little out of sorts as it had been a nerve-wracking morning so far and it was only nine o'clock, and really, she couldn't be bothered to deal with Kathy on top of it all. Besides, she'd seen enough of her the day before at the rather ridiculous meeting at work and now, she had no idea why Kathy even though it was okay to show up at her apartment.

"Kathy, what is it?"

"Olivia, can I please come in?"

Olivia eyed her, raising an eyebrow; "Elliot's not here; it's after nine, so he's at work."

"I want to talk to you," Kathy held up a hand, "Please, just a minute?"

Olivia looked her up and down, before closing the door back and undoing the chain. She hoped she wouldn't regret this, but she was glad that her phone was already in her back pocket, just in case she needed to call Elliot quickly or something.

She opened the door again and stepped aside, allowing Kathy to step into her apartment. She closed and locked the door before turning to Kathy again; the blonde woman was looking around the small area, and Olivia figured that she was either looking for evidence that Elliot had been here or was judging her for the way she lived.

"This is…cute." She commented, shooting a glance at Olivia.

"It's just me and I can't exactly afford a nice home in Queens, so…yeah," Olivia folded her arms across her chest; "What do you want? Did you not get enough of tormenting me at that meeting yesterday?"

"I came to apologize for that, it was out of order and I let my personal feelings get in the way of things, so I am sorry." Kathy replied as she looked at her. Olivia eyed her for a second; years of being the best friend of a detective combined with her natural trust issues anyway made it easier for her to pick up on bullshit, and this was definitely bullshit – Kathy wasn't sorry in the slightest.

"Mhm," she mumbled before continuing, "Appreciate it, now you can leave." She moved towards the door and undid the locks.

"Wait…" Kathy had grabbed hold of her arm, capturing her attention. She shook her arm from the woman's grasp and folded them back across her chest.

"What?"

"Umm…" Kathy paused for a second; "How's Elliot?"

"Pissed off at everything, but that's to be expected considering what's going on between you two," Olivia retorted with a raised eyebrow, "You really fucked up."

"I know, and that's why I want to see if you'll get through to him, talk to him about the mistake I made," Kathy then shrugged her shoulders; "Maybe he'll come back home."

Olivia frowned in confusion, though she was trying as hard as she could not to be affected by Kathy's words. Kathy was watching her intently, clearly waiting for a response, and Olivia was taking a moment to compose herself and now seem suspicious. Nobody really knew about recent developments in her and Elliot's relationship other than Maureen, and Maureen wouldn't have told anyone, not even Kathy.

But Kathy was staring at her, as if she knew _something._

"Listen, I can't really speak for Elliot or talk him into anything, but I feel like you cheating on him is probably something he can't forgive you for so I doubt he will come back home," she raked her hair away from her face as she pulled the door open slightly, "But you can go talk to him, see what he says about it."

She went to pull the door open even more but was started slightly when Kathy reached out and slammed it before grabbing hold of her wrist.

"Then how about this…"

Olivia knew that something hadn't been right, but she had never seen such a look of anger or hatred in Kathy's eyes like this and truthfully, it frightened her.

"I saw you and Elliot outside the precinct; I knew you'd sink your claws into him as soon as he was free, I knew he'd come right to you. Well, stay away from him and let him come back home to me – he has a family with me, he doesn't want some broken, damaged, weak bitch that can't even fight back when she's raped. You're used goods; he doesn't want you."

Olivia swallowed, trying as hard as she could not to let the words Kathy was saying affect her. Her voice shook slightly as she found the courage to speak;

"Elliot loves-"

"You think Elliot loves you? Please, you're nothing to him," Kathy smirked, pushing her away as she let go of her wrists; "Stay away from him and get him to come home; I'm sure you don't want to get raped again."

Confused by the statement, Olivia opened her mouth say something. However, she was shocked when Kathy slapped her to the point where she fell to the floor. She went to move but groaned when Kathy delivered a powerful kick to her abdomen, knocking the wind out of her. As she lay there, curled up on the floor and trying to breathe, Kathy opened the door and left, slamming the door behind her.

And Olivia remained laying in the floor with tears pouring out of her eyes; not because of the pain she was in, but because of Kathy's words that were replaying in her mind.

Elliot would never want her. She was used goods. She was _nothing._

* * *

 ** _Dun dun. Another update finished. And...what did Kathy mean by that comment? Well, you'll find out. In the meantime, leave some reviews and all that. Until next time...xoxo_**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys.**

 **I don't normally update this fast - do I? ;) Well here I am with a new update. Olivia and Elliot have a talk, Elliot calls Kathy, and Elliot wants Olivia to help him with something.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 18**

" _Hey, it's Liv, leave a message and I'll get back to you."_

"Liv…it's me, babe; I'm just about to leave work, gonna pick up some Chinese and stuff and I'll be home, I love you."

Elliot then disconnected the call before simply staring at his phone for a moment, confusion clouding across his face. It had been a pretty long day of paperwork for the most part but there hadn't been any new cases thank God, which left the squad to finish out paperwork on other cases. He was glad to be leaving work at a decent time, but he was a bit worried now as it wasn't like Olivia to not answer her phone. He had tried to call her earlier when he found out that Mark was taking a plea as the evidence was quite strong against him, but she hadn't answered then either. Now, she still wasn't answering her phone and hadn't responded to any texts, which raised some concerns from him. He wondered if maybe she had gotten called into work despite it being her day off, but she would have told him that.

He took a deep breath, shaking off the concern. Olivia didn't have to tell him every single move she made, and she was probably fine. Maybe she was spring cleaning and catching up on her rest and had simply been ignoring her phone all day. She had just finished working a seven-day streak, and she was still tired so yeah, she was fine.

This is what he kept telling himself – she was fine.

"You and baby girl finally crossed the like huh?"

Elliot turned around, spotting Fin standing behind him. He blushed slightly as it dawned on him that Fin had probably heard him leave that message for Fin, but he chuckled anyway and shrugged. It was okay if Fin knew, it wasn't as if he would tell anyone and truthfully, Fin had been waiting for this for a while.

"Yeah…something like that; told each other how we felt and we're taking it one day at a time, she knows I love her and she loves me, and I'm staying at hers at the moment anyway," he chuckled a bit, scratching the back of his neck, "It's just…I'm happy despite everything going on; she makes me happy."

"I know she does, bro; she's always made you happy and she's good people," Fin patted his shoulder, "Take care of her though; she needs it, and you need her."

Elliot nodded, smiling at him; "Damn right."

He then bid Fin farewell before rushing across to the parking lot. He got into his Jeep, then beeped the horn before driving off.

After picking up some food from their favorite Chinese place, he finally pulled up at Olivia's apartment building again. He parked his Jeep, then grabbed the bags and got out. He pressed the button to locked the doors then made his way inside the building, thanking the woman that had held the door open for him. He took the elevator up to the fourth floor, and used his key to get into her apartment. It was dark for the most part, apart from the floor lamp that was on in the living room and area. For a moment, Elliot was wondering if she was even at home, as the apartment was silent for the most part.

"Liv…I'm home, baby!" he called. He closed and locked the door, then put their food on the coffee table before tossing his jacket aside. He frowned in confusion, then his eyes went wide when he saw her phone on the kitchen counter, on its charger. Olivia never went anywhere without her phone, and now the panic was rising inside of him.

He moved through the apartment, then looked into her room first. He then breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her fast asleep in bed, curled up on top of the comforter and hugging a pillow close to her. However, the fear coursed through him again when he stepped closer and saw a bruise on her cheek and the tear tracks on her face. Someone had hurt her.

"Olivia…" he whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed; "Liv, wake up." He rubbed her arm gently, not wanting to startle her. She stirred after a few moments, and he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Baby, wake up." He kept whispering. Her eyes flickered open, and she turned her head. He smiled at her and kept rubbing her bicep with his thumb, but he immediately became concerned when she mumbled as simple _"Go away"_ before burying her face back into the pillow.

"Olivia, what's wrong?" he reached over and turned the bedside lamp on, and he was now able to see that she was crying again. He shuffled around a bit so that he was laying behind her and wrapped his arm around her.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong," his heart broke when he heard her sniffle again, "Liv, what happened? Who hurt you?"

"Go home to your wife, Elliot."

He sat up a bit and looked at her with wide eyes. Where the hell had _that_ come from?

"Liv, what the…what…" he rubbed her arm again, keeping his voice calm even though he was seconds from freaking out; "Liv, Kathy and I are _done…_ I don't want her, baby; you know it's you that I want."

"You don't want me."

"Yes, I do," he told her, laying behind her again, "Olivia, talk to me…you're scaring me right now, babe."

"I'm all used up and I'm weak and broken, you don't want me," she sniffled, still hugging the pillow close to her; "You have everything with her - a nice house, kids, all that good stuff; go home."

"Olivia stop it!" he raised his voice slightly before taking a deep breath; "Babe, stop…you're none of those things. What do you tell victims all the time? You tell them it wasn't their fault, and I'm here to tell you that what happened was not your fault. And as for her…I don't give a damn about her. She didn't give a damn about me when she cheated on me with some fucker, so I don't give a damn about her. You know I was leaving her anyway and this just gave me the push. I want _you_ Olivia, and I love _you_ …so stop saying all these-"

And it was then that it dawned on him. The bruise, the things she was saying, the fact she hadn't answered him all day. There was only one person responsible for this.

"Did Kathy come see you today?"

She nodded slightly, and Elliot let out a sigh as he tried not to let the rage consume him. He wanted to hit something, but Olivia needed him right now.

"Olivia, don't you dare for a second listen to any fucking thing she has to say; none of what she says is true and I'm not going home to her."

"But Elliot," She finally sat up properly and looked down at him as he was still laying beside her, "Think about it…all my life, I've been nothing but this broken soul who tries to make herself happy by working to fix others; I can't even fucking fix myself. How could you want someone like that?"

"Let me tell you what I see when I look at you," he sat up as well, shuffling closer to her as he continued speaking;

"I see someone that's strong and resilient and who will stop at nothing to help those that are in trouble; I see someone that makes my heart fucking beat like crazy or that makes me smile from ear to ear constantly; I see someone that's so selfless and loves my kids almost like she's their own mother; I see the woman who fucking helped deliver my son and ultimately save his life and I see someone who has been my confidante and my source of strength for twenty fucking years…"

He gently grabbed hold of her arms, staring straight into her eyes;

"You aren't fucking broken and you don't need to be fixed; you're amazing just the way you are. I fell in love with _you_ Olivia Benson; I fell in love with every flaw and imperfection, everything you hate about yourself and love about yourself. Every single fucking part of you is what I fell in love with, and I want _you._ I don't want some fucking modified version of you, Liv; I want _you_ – every single fucking part."

She was staring at him with tears pouring from her eyes, and there were tears pouring from his own eyes as well. He lifted a hand to her cheek and stroked his thumb over the bruise that had obviously been left by Kathy, and he swallowed the lump in his throat;

"I meant everything I said to you yesterday, Olivia; I love _you_ – I'm in love with you; and I want this…me and you…us."

He leaned closer, resting his forehead against hers;

"How can I go home when I'm already at _home_ …right here…with you?"

And with that, she suddenly broke down into tears. Elliot pulled her against him, holding her close to him, his strong arms around her, shielding her from everything. He kissed the top of her head a couple times, his own tears still slipping down his cheeks when he held her. She sobbed as she gripped onto the material of his shirt, allowing every emotion and fear that had built up all day to finally escape her body.

"Please don't go, Elliot…I can't…don't go." She choked out. Elliot shook his head, holding her even tighter.

"Never Olivia…I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Olivia fell asleep after a little while Elliot remained beside her with his strong arms wrapped around her in that protective manner. He glanced down at her every now and then and kissed her forehead a few times, just to make sure she was still resting peacefully. He just hoped that her doubts would be gone once she woke up and could think a little clearer again.

He sighed as he laid beside her. Her head was on his chest and he was laying on his back with one hand behind his head while he other was holding onto her. He was staring at the ceiling, and finally, everything was sinking in.

Kathy cheating, that bastard rapist that hurt Olivia, Kathy physically assaulting Olivia again – everything.

And he was _pissed._

He carefully maneuvered around so that Olivia was laying down, then quietly moved through the apartment to the living room area. He put his badge and gun aside first, then pulled out his phone. He grumbled to himself as he dialed the familiar number, and he took a couple deep breaths as he waited for the person to pick up.

" _El…I knew you'd call; did Olivia talk to you? See, you needed your best friend to tell you this was silly and you need to come home."_

"Oh she talked to me alright, Kathy; that's why I called you…" he began.

And he took a breath, and flipped;

"I don't know who you think you are, but if you ever so much as come near Olivia again, I'll have you arrested for stalking and assault. She's been nothing but nice to you…even when you've been a constant bitch to her. You slapped her in front of your co workers, then you come her apartment and slap her again? Kathy, you're deluded and sick and that's why I'm going for full custody of the kids, because this is ridiculous. And let me tell you something else…no matter what anyone says about her, I love Olivia and I have for a long time. My biggest mistake was coming home to you in the first place when it should have been her. I'm not leaving her, so you need to leave us and her alone. I'm done with you and I'm done with this marriage."

" _Elliot…wh…are you kidding me? You're gonna stay with that bitch?"_ He knew that Kathy was fuming, but he didn't care.

"I'm staying with _Olivia_ …yes I am; so you can go fuck everything with a pulse now; good luck finding anyone who'll put up with you." He snapped back.

" _This isn't over, Elliot,"_ Kathy replied, before cryptically speaking _; "You'll see…I won't let her have you."_

Elliot simply hung up, taking a deep breath as he tried to rid himself of the anger that had threatened to consume him. Kathy was dangerous it seemed, and he knew he had to work faster now – get a big enough place so he could take his kids with him, which was where they belonged.

He jumped slightly when he felt a couple arms slide around his waist and felt someone press against his back. He knew who it was, and he breathed out before turning around and wrapping his arm around her.

"You're really hot when you're protective."

He chuckled, kissing the top of her head.

"I meant what I said too," he mumbled into the brunette locks; "I love you, Olivia; I really do."

She stood up on her toes, kissing her gently as she held onto him;

"I love you too, Elliot."

The two stood in the living room together, simply wrapped up in each other's arms for a bit. He squeezed her as tight as possible and kissed the top of her head a few times, while she kept her eyes closed and breathed in the scent of his aftershave which made her feel a lot calmer than she'd felt in a while.

After a few moments, they moved over to the couch and sat down. Elliot grabbed the remote and turned on the television, the only light now being the glow from the floor lamp and the light from the television screen. Olivia noticed the food bag on the table and giggled a bit, pulling it towards her.

"I forgot you were bringing dinner." She spoke, capturing his attention.

"Damn, we did forget all about our food," he chuckled a bit, "You hungry now?"

"Starving," she nodded as she stood up; "I'll go warm this up then we can stuff our faces and forget about the shitty day we've both had."

Elliot nodded in agreement, before turning his attention back to the television as he continued to flip through and see if there was anything for them to watch. He settled on some random thriller film that they bad both seen before, before looking up as she said his name from the kitchen area.

"Yeah baby?" He replied.

"First of all, I'm sorry that I missed all your calls and texts; it's just been a bad day," She pottered around as she spoke, warming up more of their food and grabbing some plates; "Did he take the plea? That Mark guy?"

"Shit, I did call you about that," Elliot stood up and made his way over to help her; "Yeah, he's gonna plead guilty – evidence is too strong. Barba is happy about that of course; no trial which means less work and chaos, plus I didn't want you going through that."

"You know I would have, though; if it meant putting that son of a bitch away." Olivia pointed out as she started dishing their food out onto plates.

"I know you would have, baby," he slipped an arm around her waist, his hand splayed on her stomach as he kissed the back of her head; "You don't have to though; it's a good thing."

Olivia nodded, smiling as she felt him kiss her shoulder. She finished dishing up their food and Elliot grabbed a couple beers from the fridge, before then they went back over to the couch to relax. They both relaxed with their plates and tucked into their dinner, while half paying attention to the film and half engaging in conversation with one another as well.

About an hour later, they had finished eating and were now curled up together, watching the film when they were distracted by Elliot's phone ringing from the kitchen area. Olivia sat up so that he could get it, and she paused the movie while he talked so he wouldn't miss anything.

"So he's in the tombs without incident? He'll be in there all weekend right…and he's not changed his mind about the plea?"

Olivia was listening; she knew whoever had called Elliot was now talking about the guy that had assaulted her and those other girls. She shivered slightly and wrapped her arms around herself, simply watching Elliot, watching for anything that would indicate that things were not going to plan. Everything seemed to be alright for the most part, and she just hoped that it would stay that was as she didn't really fancy dealing with anymore drama.

A few moments later, Elliot was off the phone and had come back over to the sofa to relax again. She snuggled into him straight away, playing with his hand as she quietly asked; "Everything okay?"

"Everything's perfect, baby; they got Mark to the tombs and he's gonna be there all weekend, arraignment on Monday morning," he turned his head to look at her; "Do you wanna go to that or-"

"No…no…I can't handle that." She shook her head straight away. Elliot nodded, giving her a small smile before kissing her forehead.

"It's okay baby," he raked his fingers through her hair before continuing, "Hey, so…this might seem a little random, but do you wanna help me look for a place?"

Olivia tilted her head to the side, and he chuckled slightly; "I'm not putting pressure on you and saying for you to move in with me; I know you like your own space – just want something big enough for the kids and you too, if you want."

"Pretty sure I'd be staying in a room with you, but okay," he stroked her finger down his cheek as she let out a small chuckle; "I'll help. Do you wanna go look tomorrow? Take our mind off things."

"We can do that," he nodded, stroking her side as he held her; "Suppose I better use some connections I have – my old Marine buddy is a realtor so maybe he can help me get something quick. I'm meeting with my lawyer on Monday, and I'm gonna need to show that the kids can be with me and I can take care of them."

"They're old enough to choose, aren't they?" Olivia curiously asked.

"Sort of; Kathleen and the twins obviously can have a say in who they want to live with, but Eli can't because he's too little," he shrugged; "It still ultimately comes down to whether or not I'll be able to manage having them live with me, and with my job, I know I'm gonna have a fight on my hands with Kathy and her lawyer."

"Are the other kids doing okay with everything so far? It's only been a couple days." Olivia asked. She was genuinely worried about the children, as she adored them so much and wanted nothing more than for them to be happy.

"Eli doesn't really know what's going on but Kathleen says he sees my picture on the table and keeps asking for me, like saying _Daddy_ and looking around _,"_ he gave a dejected sigh, shaking his head, "But as for Kathleen and the twins – not good; none of them are talking to Kathy. Kat says she leaves the room when Kathy comes in, Dickie is angry all the time and has been throwing stuff around in his room, and Lizzie just locks herself in her room and comes out for dinner."

"That's rough, and I feel so sorry for them; Kathy well and truly screwed up." Olivia replied. She did feel bad for them, but she knew that there was no way she'd be able to see them as Kathy would never allow it considering she hated her guts.

"She did, and that's why I don't quite understand why she's so adamant about making things hell for me and targeting you – why can't she just let this shit go and give me my fucking kids?" He dragged his hand down his face, leading Olivia to drape her arms around his neck and kiss his cheek.

"Don't get worked up, you'll get them," she assured him before continuing; "And I'll help in any way, I promise; I love your kids so much and I'll do anything for them. Don't worry baby, everything will work out."

Elliot wrapped his arms tighter around her, hugging her as tight as possible before kissing her her again. They whispered words of love to each other, before simply relaxing together to watch the movie again.

God…he was so glad to finally have this woman. He just hoped that things would stay settled for now, as he'd truly had enough of the chaos now and just wanted everything to be okay.

* * *

 ** _Anddd here we go. Some of you might be wondering why Olivia didn't tell Elliot about Kathy's little "threat"...well, she'll tell him in the next chapter...I think. But leave some reviews for now. Until next time...xoxo_**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm here with Chapter 19. Things have shifted - Olivia and Elliot have to spend a little time apart due to an intense case that the SVU squad is working, Olivia doesn't like sleeping without Elliot, and well, arraignment court is mentioned in this too.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 19**

The next few days passed without incident. Throughout the weekend, Elliot and Olivia had spent pretty much the whole of Saturday and Sunday looking for places, and had it narrowed down to a bigger, three bedroom apartment a couple of blocks away from Olivia's apartment complex, and a five bedroom house which was in Queens. Lucky for him, his old Marine buddy was the one to call for the five bedroom house, so that was looking a lot more promising. Olivia promised to help in any way she could, and Elliot was truly grateful for such.

But there was one thing playing on Elliot's mind, something that he and Olivia hadn't had a chance to really talk about as they had been so focused on finding a place for him. He was concerned as to why she had been so quick to believe Kathy, and so quick to push him away and tell him to leave. There were deeper layers to Olivia…things he didn't know, that he had never known. He wondered about what was really going on in her mind, wondered if her reaction had something to do with the past that she kept sealed so deep in the back of her mind. He hadn't had a chance to talk to her about it, but he planned to – as soon as possible.

The early part of the week passed in a flash. Monday was spent in court for another case. during which Elliot has to testify, then the latter part of Monday was spent doing paperwork and talking to his lawyer on the phone. Tuesday morning was spent in arraignment court for Mark, which had been pushed back a day. Elliot was left fuming, however, as he saw Mark suddenly plead not guilty to the rape charges against him. He had called Olivia as soon as he was in the car to tell her about it, and he could hear that she was upset about the change but her voice was full of determination as she promised that she would do whatever she could – even if it meant testifying in court – just to make sure the bastard was put away. Elliot has promised her a dinner that night to help her feel better, but unfortunately been able to go through with those plans, as during the afternoon, the SVU squad had caught a case that seemed to be never ending, which led to them having to work overnight, something that Elliot hated. All of that brought him to now, Wednesday; he was still at the precinct, still working hard to track down a second kidnapped little boy that had been missing for now seventeen hours, along with one that had been missing for twenty hours.

Olivia had gone back to work on the Monday, after her four days off. She had also confided in Casey about Kathy's visit to her apartment. Of course, that had pissed Casey off straight away, but she managed to remain professional and simply avoided Kathy, just as Olivia did. Kathy didn't make anymore snide comments, but Olivia nor Casey certainly didn't miss the way she would glare at them every now and then while they were going about their work. Olivia has also spent the majority of Tuesday trying to come to terms with the fact that she was gonna have to testify in court considering Mark decided to plead not guilty. The thought alone gave her anxiety and she confided in Casey about that as well. Casey promised to stay by her side, and Olivia knew that with her best friend, as well as Elliot and the others from the SVU on her side, she would be okay.

Today was Wednesday, and Olivia was taking a break from the twelve-hour shift she was working. It was noon, and she hadn't seen Elliot since the previous morning when he'd taken her to work as he hadn't been able to come back due to the intensity of the case he was working. Casey had given her the keys to her car before she left to assist with a surgery, so Olivia took her car to head to the precinct. She stopped at hers and Elliot's favorite diner and grabbed a grilled chicken sandwich for him and a small bag of potato chips, then headed straight to the precinct.

She went inside and after waving to the security guard on duty, she took the elevator up to the second floor. She could hear Elliot and Fin debating something related to the case as she rounded the corner, and she simply stopped in the doorway of the squad room as she saw all the tables together and various law enforcement on the phones, handling the tip lines no doubt as she had seen the plea for information that the police commissioner made about an hour ago.

"Hey Olivia!"

She looked up as Munch came towards her with a smile on his lips.

"Hi Munch," she greeted the older man with a smile, "I know you guys are in a bit of a cluster, but can I see Elliot for a second or?"

"Yeah of course, we're stalled at the moment and we're all tired, so hang on." Munch told her. He squeezed her shoulder before going over to the two agitated men, and Olivia chuckled a bit as she watched him point Fin in the direction of where Captain Cragen was and point Elliot her direction. She bit her lip as Elliot furrowed his brow in confusion before whirling around, and her lips curled into a smile when their eyes locked. He practically pushed people out of the way to get to her, and after pulling her into a hug, he led her around the corner to the ledge so they could sit down together.

"I probably have two seconds," he grabbed hold of her hand, "You look beautiful." He was eyeing her; the way her brunette locks were swept up in a ponytail, and the way the black scrub bottoms and pink scrub top clung to her body in the most perfect way. Perhaps what made his heart swell the most was the fact she was wearing his grey hoodie, leading him to flick one of the strings on the hood while she rolled her eyes and smirked.

"I'm just glad I can see your face for a minute," she held the bag out to him; "Brought you something to eat."

"I appreciate it, I've not had anything in over twenty four hours other than Munch's sludge." He took the bag in his hand, then leaned over and kissed her lips. She grinned adorably, stroking her finger down his cheek before asking; "Do you think the case will be solved soon?"

"God I hope so, I haven't slept in over twenty-four hours…somehow, the cribs just don't match up to your bed, and your arms." He replied as he winked at her. She couldn't stop herself from blushing like a teenager, her gaze flicking to her hands before back up to his face again.

"Well I do hope you can come home tonight, because I um…I miss you." She giggled, shrugging adorably. Elliot gave her a handsome smile, tilting his head to look at her.

"I miss you too," he told her; "The thing is, as soon as this case is over, I'm guaranteed a couple days off – so, maybe I can take you out on a proper date? What do you say we move our Tuesday plans to the first night I have free?"

"I say that I've been dreaming about Elliot Stabler asking me out since I met him when I was sixteen," she winked, something that made him laugh as he watched her; "Seriously El, I'll go out with you – I'm glad my dream came true."

"I probably sound like a bastard for saying this because I was married when I met you, but I've secretly been wanting to ask you out since I met you." He winked. Olivia laughed and opened her mouth to say something, when both she and Elliot were suddenly distracted by Fin's voice;

"Yo Stabler, I think we got something, man!" he then quickly waved at Olivia and shouted a quick; "Hey baby girl!" before rushing back into the squad room.

"I'll see you later, baby!" Elliot burst out. He quickly pressed a kiss to her lips before rushing off as well; Olivia simply chuckled a bit before standing up with her bag on her shoulder. She shot one last glance into the squad room, before then stepping onto the elevator and heading back outside.

Hopefully the rest of the day wouldn't drag, and hopefully it wouldn't be too long until Elliot came back home to her again.

* * *

It was just after one in the morning when Olivia was awakened by the sound of her cell phone ringing. She jumped awake and rolled over to grab her phone from her night stand, swiping her finger across the screen without looking;

"Hello?"

 _"Baby, it's me."_

She smiled straight away when she heard his voice;

"Hey El," she breathed out, rolling over to flick on her bedside lamp; "Are you okay? Almost done?"

 _"We're still working; Munch and Rollins are catching a nap in the cribs and me and Fin are going through files trying to find something…"_ he paused for a moment, and Olivia heard him take a shaky breath; _"I just had to take a minute to call you."_

"What's wrong?" She asked. She sat up and pulled her knees up to her chest, keeping her blanket up over her arm while she held the phone up to her ear with her other hand.

 _"A third kid has gone missing – went missing a couple hours ago and we've been going crazy trying to figure things out,"_ he took a deep breath, before managing to continue; _"Seven year old boy, just like the first two boys, and all I can fucking see is my son when he was that age…fuck."_

"Baby calm down, I know this is hard, but please calm down," she kept her voice calm as she tried to soothe him; "Did you talk to the kids?"

 _"Yeah I did; I called Katie about an hour ago because I knew she was up working on a project – they're all fine."_ He replied.

"Just keep holding on to that, honey; remember that they're fine," she told him; "Do you need a visitor? I can get a cab to the precinct and come see you-"

 _"No baby, you need your rest; I just needed to hear your voice and-"_ he paused, and Olivia could hear Fin's voice saying something in the background; _"I gotta go Liv, I love you and I'll see you later."_

"I love you too, go save the world." She told him. She then hung up the phone before looking around the room, sighing to herself as she snuggled under the blankets again. This was the second night without Elliot in her bed, and she really hoped that things would be solved soon so that he could come home. It had been almost a week since their relationship shifted, and since then, they had been sleeping in the same bed every single night, holding each other. She was used to it now, and she wanted it again.

Really, she just wanted to be in his arms, for the rest of her life.

It was only a few hours later when the alarm from her phone began blaring through the room, causing her to jump awake and feel a little disoriented as she had been in a deep sleep. She reached over and turned it off; then dragged herself out of bed. She felt incredibly exhausted and while she was grateful that she only had an eight hour shift versus the twelve hours that Casey had to work, she was already dreading the day as she knew it was going to be a long one. She ran her fingers through her hair as she made her way into her en suite bathroom.

She showered and dressed in a pair of dark blue scrub bottoms and a matching scrub top, then after drying her hair, she tied it into a bun. She put on her shoes and socks and slipped her badge around her neck, before then grabbing her phone and Elliot's hoodie to put on. She lifted it to her nose and took a deep breath, breathing in the calming scent of his aftershave. God, she would be so fucking glad when this case was closed because she just wanted him to come home now.

She bummed quietly to herself as she moved around the kitchen on autopilot. She flicked the switch to make herself a cup of coffee, she popped a bagel into the toaster, she grabbed a handful of grapes and began munching on them. Once the coffee was finished, she poured it into her pink and grey travel mug and put it aside. She glanced at the clock and realized that Casey would probably be there any minute, and so she quickly grabbed her bagel and spread some cream cheese over it. Just as she stuffed her keys and other essentials into her bag, her phone buzzed with a new text.

 _'Casey: 6:35am – I'm outside, come along badass ;) lol'_

She rolled her eyes at the message, then scooped up her things and headed out of the apartment. She locked the door behind her, then quickly headed downstairs and out the door. She slipped into the passenger seat of Casey's car, greeting her best friend as she did so. Casey greeted her with a nudge before then pulling off towards the hospital.

"Stabler come back home yet?" Casey asked, eyeing her friend as she yawned.

"No, and it's driving me insane," Olivia whined before taking a bite out of her bagel; "He called me around one this morning, though, it's getting to him."

"Kids involved, eh?" Casey asked as she stopped for a red light.

"Yep, and those always hit him hard." Olivia replied. She took another bite then offered the rest to Casey, who thanked her then took a bite from it.

"I hope he can come home soon though so you can get some sleep; you look like crap." Casey smirked, to which Olivia rolled her eyes and laughed as she looked out the window.

The two arrived at the hospital with about ten minutes to spare before their shift started. They went inside and straight to the lounge to put their bags away and such, then went out to the nurses station to get started. Olivia felt her phone buzz in her back pocket and she looked at the screen, before smiling at the sweet message;

 _'Elliot: 6:55am – I miss you. Be home soon hopefully. Have a good day at work beautiful, I love you.'_

The smile on Olivia's face couldn't have shone any brighter.

* * *

 ** _Update is finished, guys. I hope you all enjoyed this. Please leave some reviews. Until next time...xoxo_**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm here with chapter 20! In this chapter, Elliot comes home, Olivia stands up for herself, they get a call from Kathleen, and Olivia finally reveals some important information to Elliot.**

 **Please, enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 20**

The day seemed to pass quickly – fortunate because Olivia wasn't so ridiculously bored during her eight-hour shift, yet slightly unfortunate as well as the emergency room had been quite busy due to an influx of patients coming in with various injuries. Olivia and Casey had worked together as they always did and once again avoided Kathy, though yet again, that didn't stop the blonde-haired woman from glaring at them every now and then with a look of pure hate in her eyes. The look unnerved Olivia, but Casey was simply ready to jump on the woman and kick her ass, though Olivia stopped her and told her to ignore it. For the most part, though, the day was spent taking care of various patients that filtered through the doors of the emergency room, thus allowing the day to move along smoothly.

Before long, two-thirty rolled around, and Olivia was down to the last half hour of her eight-hour shift. She had just finished logging her last bit of patient information into the computer and had looked up to ask Casey something when they were distracted by paramedics running in again. This time, it was three different patients, all little boys, and the paramedics were shouting that they were suffering from cyanide poisoning and needed immediate attention. Olivia and Casey sprung into action along with the other nurses; she and Casey aided with helping one little boy while other nurses tended to the other two. Orders were barked, and the necessary equipment was used to start helping the boys. As Olivia did the normal work of connecting machines to check blood pressure and heart rate, she heard the paramedics explain;

"Those boys are all seven years old, we found them in a basement in the warehouse, same kids that have been missing for the last couple days – NYPD got the humps."

Olivia and Casey exchanged a glance; this was the case that the Special Victims Unit had been working.

They finished helping the little boy as best they could then the other nurses transferred him to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, along with the other little boys. Olivia took a breath as she and Casey removed their gloves and washed their hands, before began heading in the direction of the nurses' station.

"Liv…Case!"

Both Olivia and Casey looked up, only to see Elliot and Fin rushing towards them. Olivia wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around Elliot has she hadn't seen him since she visited him the day before; he and Fin were both still wearing the same clothes she'd seen them in the day before the exhaustion was present in their eyes.

"Hey guys." Casey greeted, giving them a small wave.

"Hey," Fin nodded at them both; "How are those kids?"

"Doctor's over there, he could tell you more than we can – those kids are in bad shape, though, though; God knows how much of the stuff they got." Olivia sighed as she jutted her chin in the direction of the doctor whom was writing on some charts.

"I'll go talk to him." Fin remarked. He patted Elliot on the shoulder and squeezed both Casey and Olivia on their shoulders before rushing over to talk to the doctor. Casey headed back to the nurses' station, leaving Olivia and Elliot to talk quietly amongst themselves.

"So, you can come home tonight?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest and looking up at him with a hopeful smile. Elliot smiled back, nodding his head.

"I still need to finish the paperwork but yes, I can come home tonight; Chief of D's is giving us a couple days to fill out the 'Fives as they know it's a lot of information to go in them," he then glanced at his watch; "Your shift is over in five minutes; do you want a ride home?"

"I have to give the report to my relief," Olivia nodded her head towards the dark-haired nurse that was perched on the desk, talking to Casey; "I'll probably be another fifteen minutes."

"Me and Fin can wait for you, because I'm sure we aren't getting any statements out of these kids today nor tonight," he reached out and stroked a hand down her arm, "Besides, got some information to share with you regarding my div-"

"Elliot – hey!"

Both Olivia and Elliot cringed and rolled their eyes, spotting Kathy coming towards them. Elliot stepped in front of Olivia, glaring at the woman now standing before him, whom was looking at him with a small smirk on her lips.

"I signed the papers, but don't expect the custody battle to be easy," she poked his arm with her finger, "Unless you wanna come home." She ran a hand down his arm, but before he could react, Olivia stepped up and grabbed the woman's wrist, giving it a squeeze while staring at her.

"One twist and it'll be broken," she glared, her born eyes practically pouring into the shocked blues that belonged to Kathy, "Get it through your fucking head, he wants nothing to do with you."

"Let go of me, Olivia; or else." Kathy snarled.

"Threaten me all you want, I'm not fucking scared of you," Olivia twisted a bit, causing Kathy to yelp in pain as her free hand flew to try and pry Olivia's hand from her wrist, "Come near him or me again and it's as good as broken, you don't want to keep fucking playing with me."

She leaned closer, whispering, "Fuck off."

She then let go, and surprisingly – and probably because she was actually scared of the brunette – Kathy actually scurried away while holding her wrist in her other hand. Olivia glared after her before looking at Elliot again, who was giving her an impressed look. She breathed out, then told him she was going to speak with her relief person while he talked with Fin and the doctor, and that she'd meet him in the near the exit as soon as she was finished.

About fifteen minutes later – just as she said – Olivia had finished and had packed up her things to leave. Kathy hadn't said anything else to her and actually looked a little scared, and Olivia simply glared at her before looking at Casey again. She shared a hug with her friend and told her she'd see her in the morning when she came by to pick her up for work, before she then headed off to wait at the exit. Elliot and Fin had just come around the corner just as she approached the exit, and they both led her out of the doors. Fin slid into the back seat while Olivia rode in the passenger seat, and Elliot slipped into the driver's seat. Olivia had a small smile on her lips, as she was clearly happy that Elliot was coming home tonight.

She listened as Fin and Elliot discussed the case during the ride back to the precinct, and Elliot gave her the keys to his Jeep and told her to wait in there while he went inside to grab some files. Olivia nodded and bid Fin a farewell, before going over to Elliot's Jeep and slipping into the passenger seat. She had only just leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes when her phone buzzed, which captured her attention;

' _Kathleen calling…'_

She immediately swiped her finger against the screen as concern washed over her straight away; "Hey Katie, you okay honey?"

"Liv," Olivia immediacy went on alert when she heard the fear in Kathleen's voice; _"I was trying to call my Dad but he's not answering, can you call him and tell him to come and get us? I need to get out of here before Mom comes home; we all do."_

"Kathleen, what's going on?" Olivia asked. She looked up; Elliot was coming across the parking lot to the car with files tucked under his arm.

" _Just call him please, Olivia,"_ Kathleen sniffled; _"I've packed me and Eli some clothes, and the twins are gonna be home in a minute so finish packing. I've already got Eli from daycare. Just call him?"_

"Katie, he's right here, hold on." She looked on as Elliot slipped into the car, but he immediately gave her a confused look at the sound of his daughter's nickname. She slid the phone into his hand and shrugged, while he lifted the phone to his ear and spoke;

"Kathleen, what's wrong?" He was holding the phone with one hand and used the other hand to start the car, while Olivia held the files in her lap.

 _"Daddy, please come get me and the twins and Eli; Mom is insane, and I think she wants to hurt Olivia,"_ Kathleen immediately burst out; _"She actually hit me a couple days ago, she's been yelling at the twins, she pays no attention to Eli so me and the twins look after him. She was talking last night to that guy – I guess her boyfriend – and I heard Olivia's name come up, and something about making her pay. I don't know Daddy, I just don't want to be here."_

Elliot felt sick to his stomach. He had felt guilty enough for leaving his children behind and hated that it was taking a bit of time for him to get a place, but now the fact that his children had been in hell for the last week was breaking his heart. He was confused about Kathy and her boyfriend however, as he wondered what that had to do with Olivia and wondered why she would even mention Olivia to him. He wasn't about to take any chances, and he didn't care about the consequences of this. Right now, he was going to Queens to get his children.

"I'm on my way; be careful and stay there." He hung up and handed the phone back to Olivia before racing out of the parking lot. Olivia looked over at him with a confused look on her face as she saw the concern etched across his face.

"What's happening?" She asked.

"I'm getting my kids and bringing them back into the city; Kathy is…fuck she's putting my kids through hell," Elliot ran a band down his face as he turned the corner, racing down the street towards the bridge that would go into Queens; "We can stay at a hotel or something, Liv, you-"

"No, you can all stay with me and that's final," Olivia immediately cut him off; "My couch pulls out into a bed for the girls, I have a guest room with a comfy bed for Dickie, and I still have one of Eli's pack and play things in my closet – I'm assuming he can still fit in it – and you'll obviously be in the room with me. You guys can stay with me, and maybe we can make some calls and get this house thing sorted out a little faster."

Elliot looked over at her, before suddenly taking her hand in his and kissing her fingers;

"Thank you."

Olivia smiled, squeezing his hand;

"I love you and I love your kids," she reached up and stroked her finger down his cheek; "I got your back."

Elliot couldn't help but smile at her sweet statement…

* * *

About an hour later, Olivia and Elliot were making their way into the apartment with four Stabler kids in tow; Eli was clutching onto Olivia as she was carrying him on her hip, and the three older children had trailed in behind them. When they had arrived in Queens and gotten to the house, Eli had run straight to Elliot for cuddles – as fast as his little legs could take him of course – and the three older children immediately burst into why they needed to get out of that house. They thanked Olivia numerous times during the ride back into the city, to which Olivia replied that there was no need to thank her and that she certainly didn't mind if they stayed with her.

She locked the door behind them, then put Eli down onto the sofa. Kathleen put all their bags into the guest room, while the twins sprawled at opposite ends of the sofa with their brother. Elliot exchanged a glance with Olivia and signaled towards the bedroom with his eyes, and after telling the kids that they would be right back, they made their way through to the bedroom. Elliot closed the door behind him before turning to Olivia, whom sat down on the bed.

They stared at each other for a minute, both of them a little unsure of what to say. Elliot needed to tell her what Kathleen told him, and she still needed to tell him about Kathy's threat from a week ago.

"I want to put a protective detail on you."

Olivia looked up, her eyes going wide as she looked at him. She hadn't at all expected this, and she wanted to know where this had come from.

"What-"

"Kathy threatened you," Elliot explained as he removed his badge and gun, "Kathleen said that she heard Kathy talking to her… _boyfriend…_ or whatever he is, and your name came up and something about making you pay. I don't know what that means or what you have to do with anything, but I'm not taking any chances."

Olivia swallowed; well this certainly wasn't the way she planned to tell him, but now it seemed that she had no choice.

"She threatened me."

Now it was Elliot's turn to look up. His hands stilled on the buttons of his shirt and he looked at her with a raised eyebrow, to which she held her hand up before elaborating;

"It was that day she came by here…last week; but I didn't think much of it, I was too focused on other things she said, and I ended up forgetting about it," she flicked her gaze from his face to the floor as little tears filled her eyes, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Olivia," Elliot breathed out as he knelt down in front of her, holding her arms in his hands, "What did she say?"

Olivia closed her eyes for a second, pausing as she remembered that day. She could almost hear Kathy's voice in her head, taunting her.

"She said…" she swallowed a bit before speaking again; "She told me to stay away from you and get you to come home, then said ' _I'm sure you don't want to get raped again'._ El, I swear-"

"And you didn't think to tell me that, Olivia? What the fuck?" Elliot interrupted her, running his hand down his face before taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think about it again and then it just slipped my mind, especially since I knew you guys had him in lock up," she grabbed hold of his biceps, looking into his blue eyes, "I'm sorry, El; I really am."

"I'm not mad at you, baby…I just…fuck…I want to keep you safe," he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead; "Okay, first things first…I'm calling Rikers to make sure the prick hasn't made bail, then I'm gonna have one of the unis run a background on Mark, find out if he has a brother. If that's the son of a bitch that's with Kathy and she knows it, then she's in shit too."

He then stroked a finger down her cheek, tapping her nose.

"I won't let anyone hurt you or the kids, I promise."

She nodded, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek a couple times.

"I love you."

He kissed the side of his head, running his hand up and down her back;

"I love you too."

* * *

 ** _Kathy threatening Olivia...again? You'll all soon find out the connections Kathy has. Also coming up next, Olivia finally tells Elliot why she was so quick to push him away after Kathy's visit before. Leave some feedback guys. Until next time...xoxo_**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys!**

 **So...first of all, how freaking awesome was the SVU 20 premiere? Amazing episode, but how about that silent bombshell from Benson when she was talking to Rollins? I'm in shock still.**

 **Anyway, I'm here with chapter 21. Olivia finally confides in Elliot, and Lizzie has a little warning before Olivia goes to work.**

 **WARNING: TRIGGERING CONTENT AHEAD. PLEASE, BE CAREFUL AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends?**

 **Part 21**

The remainder of the evening passed quickly. Maureen had been told by Kathleen that they were all staying with Olivia, so after her last class of the evening, Maureen came over to see them. They had pizza for dinner, and Olivia was able to hear more about what they had been going through for the last week since their father had left.

Kathleen explained how Kathy was becoming increasingly abusive and neglectful towards them; she was barely taking care of Eli and instead the twins and Kathleen stepped up to make sure he was sorted out, and Kathleen would drop him off there as it was just a block over from her school, which was a short walk from the house. She also explained how she and Kathy had been arguing a lot lately as Kathleen was never one to back down from a fight, thus leading Kathy to become violent with her a few times over the last week or so. The twins expressed how she always seemed to yell at them for even the smallest things such as leaving a dish in the sink or talking too much. The children also explained how she seemed to go ballistic if either of them even so much as mentioned Olivia; they explained that it seemed like a rage came over her and she would launch into a rant, demanding they stopped talking about the woman. Kathleen then explained how the night before, she had been downstairs in the kitchen to get something to drink, and she heard Kathy in the living room with her boyfriend as the man had come over to the house. She'd heard Kathy ranting about Olivia and expressed that she wanted her to pay for ruining the family, but she hadn't been able to make out what the man was saying.

And now, Olivia wholeheartedly understood why they had been so adamant about getting out of that house. It was clearly a toxic environment for them all, including little Eli even though he didn't fully understand. She had noticed how he didn't really ask for his mother throughout the night, but instead enjoyed the fact that he was once again with his Dad and Olivia, and his sisters and his brother.

Of course, the night could not go by without Kathy raising hell – Kathleen's phone rang a little past eight, and of course, it was Kathy, demanding to know where they were. Kathleen pushed the phone into Elliot's hand, and it was Elliot who told her that he had the kids. He also told her that if she or anyone showed up to Olivia's apartment without warning, they would be arrested for harassment. Kathy seemed to take the threat seriously and simply mumbled something about taking him to court before hanging up, and Elliot told the kids to just not answer her if she called again. He had a couple of his buddies from the twenty-seventh precinct parked outside of Olivia's building for protection, simply because he refused to take any chances.

Later in the night, the kids had gone to bed, leaving Elliot and Olivia awake. The girls were crashed out on Olivia's rather comfortable pull out sofa, Eli was sleeping soundly in his pack and play bed without a care in the world, and Dickie was fast asleep in the bed in the guest room. Olivia and Elliot were in her bedroom; she had changed into some shorts and a tank top and Elliot was simply in a pair of boxers. She climbed into bed while he finished brushing his teeth, and after a few moments, he climbed into bed with her.

He had been up for two days and knew he should be sleeping, but he couldn't sleep. His mind was going crazy – he was worried about his kids, worried about Olivia, worried about getting a place big enough for them all. He genuinely had a lot on his mind and wished it would shut off, but it just wouldn't do so. To top it off, he needed to talk to Olivia because the incident from almost a week ago was still plaguing him. He needed to know why she was so adamant about believing Kathy, why she had almost pushed him away.

"El."

He looked to the side of him, she was propped up in her elbow beside him, looking at him with a curious expression on her face. He raised an eyebrow at her; "What's up?"

"You tell me," she retorted, "What are you thinking about?"

Elliot looked at her for a bit, before breathing out and rubbing his hand down his face. He turned onto his side to look at her properly, before speaking;

"Why were you trying to push me away? That day Kathy came by and all that crap she said to you – why did you believe it?"

Her gaze shifted, and Elliot knew she felt uncomfortable. Still, it had been on his mind – in fact, it was one of the things that was at the forefront of his mind. He knew there were things about her that he didn't know, and maybe tonight would be the night that he would find out. He reached over and stroked his thumb down her cheek, causing her to look up into his eyes again.

"You know you can tell me whatever," he spoke softly, still stroking his thumb over her cheek, "I love you, and nothing will ever change that."

Olivia sighed, pushing his hand away and sitting up. She put the bedside lamp on again and leaned back against the headboard, flicking her gaze up to the ceiling for a second. She took another deep breath, then finally looked back into those blue eyes that always provided her with comfort even if she felt like she was losing her mind.

"This goes back, _way_ back…" she began, shrugging her shoulders;

"I was sixteen when me and you met; I had just moved here to live with my Aunt Marsha – she was my mother's youngest sister. Well, I never told you why I moved here and as you've noticed, I never mention my mother or anything like that; I think those are just parts of me that I'd rather forget – there are a lot of things about me I'd rather forget."

She fiddled with the blanket, running her fingers over the soft material as she continued to speak;

"My mother abused me…from the time I was five or six, until I left home at sixteen and didn't look back. She never wanted me, she drank a lot to cope with having me; she was just all around abusive – when she was drunk and when she was sober. She always told me I would never amount to anything and I would never be any good, that nobody would ever want me, that I was trash – all sorts. Well…she wasn't the only ones that abused me, but she had boyfriends, a lot of them, and they abused me too…and I don't mean just physically."

Elliot's eyes went wide as he listened. He sat up and draped an arm around her waist, but he didn't interrupt her. Judging by the tears that had welled up in her eyes, this was something she needed to get out.

"When they were done with me, they would tell me I was used goods and that nobody would ever want me. My mother knew, and she let it happen, all for a drink and some cigarettes. I was a fucking child and she let all this shit happen to me. I…I tried to forget it happened…but when Kathy used those words, it was like it all came rushing back. I could hear them taunting me and saying I was used goods and that I was broken, and all I could think was that you didn't want me either; that nobody wanted me."

"Olivia-" he interrupted but she put her hand up, shaking her head. He kissed her forehead, knowing how important he was that she finished this.

"When I was twelve, I started looking into how much a bus ticket from California to here would cost. I was already getting paid to babysit some neighborhood kids after school and I befriended one of the older ladies on my street, and so since I knew how to cook and clean, she paid me to sit with her elderly mother for a couple hours after school if I wasn't babysitting. From twelve to sixteen, I saved money constantly and kept it hidden under a loose floorboard in my closet. I kept tabs on the price of the bus ticket, checking whether or not the price would go up or down, checked about luggage – everything. On top of it all, I endured beatings from my mother, and being molested at the hands of whatever boyfriend she had at the time. It was so bad, but the worst of it was when I found out I was pregnant – a month before I left."

Elliot gasped – this was something he hadn't at all expected to hear. Olivia had never told him any of this, but this was still a complete shock. He opened his mouth to ask her more about it, but she beat him to it, composing herself before speaking again;

"I hooked up with an older guy – just to feel loved, and yeah; so…I took a home test and it was positive, and my mother stormed into the bathroom just as I was trying to hide it in the trash. She was fucking livid, El; she was so angry and kept calling me a whore and a slut and all sorts of things. A week later, she pulled me out of school and dragged me to the clinic, and she…she…" She squeezed her eyes shut as more tears dripped down her cheeks. Elliot rubbed her back, feeling a few tears slide down his own cheeks as his heart broke even more for her.

"Baby, you don't have to continue this if you don't want to."

"No…let me finish." She was determined to push through. She squeezed her eyes shut again and took a deep breath.

"She made me get rid of it, El; she fucking made me kill my baby," she sniffled a bit…

"I cried for a week. I never wanted to get rid of my baby; I was gonna keep it and somehow raise it, but I didn't wanna get rid of it. I knew then that it was time for me to go. I had to get away from California, especially away from her."

She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath;

"I got the papers to be pulled out of school and forged my mother's signature; told the principal and my friends and teachers that I was moving. I told all the people I babysat for and I told my neighbor that I was leaving to stay with a relative. I called my Aunt Marsha…she knew my mother and I had an extremely volatile relationship and told me I could come stay with her; I told her that my mother agreed to it, but my mother didn't even know I was planning to leave. Whenever my mother wasn't home, I was packing up things I wanted to keep, which I still have in a small box in my closet. I packed two duffel bags of things and kept them behind a pile of clothes in my closet, and I waited for the right moment. The night that I left…it was…awful."

Elliot continued to rub circles on her back, keeping her calm. She stared at her hands in her lap as she continued to speak while tears fell down her face.

"I thought she was asleep, so I got my bags and my identification, and I started to leave. Just as I got to the front door, my mother came out of her room – halfway through a bottle of vodka – and she looked so mad. She asked me where I was going, and I told her I was leaving. She came towards me and stumbled, and the bottle fell out of her hand and shattered all over the floor. Well, then she picked up the jagged edge of the bottle and came at me, screaming _'I'll never let anyone else have you'._ I somehow gained some strength and courage to fight back…I kicked her hard, and then I kicked her again and she went flying across the room into the wall, and she slid down to the floor. I'd never hurt her before and I was so afraid, so I grabbed my things and I ran out. I ran until I couldn't anymore, and then I walked the rest of the way to the bus station. I got there, I got my bus ticket, and I slept in that station that night until the next morning, until it was time for the next bus to New York City. I got on that bus, and I never looked back."

She breathed out, shrugging her shoulders;

"All of that is why I believed Kathy, because for so long, I was degraded and told that I was nothing. Even the guys I've dated over the years have been shitty, hence why I just gave up dating altogether – until now obviously. I'm sorry that I tried to push you away, and I'm sorry that I never told you any of this. I just…if you don't talk about it-"

"You can pretend it isn't happening," he finished as he pulled her into a hug; "I know, baby; I know – and I'm just sorry you went through all of that. Let me tell you something though…"

He then pulled back, cupping her face in his hand;

"You are a beautiful, wonderful, strong woman. You survived the abuse, Liv; you're surviving the recovery. You're so brave, Olivia, and whoever has hurt you – they're just lucky I can't get my hands on them. I can't erase the past, but I can move forward with you and tell you that I love you, and that I will always love you and I will always want you, because you are everything to me. You've been everything to me since I fucking met you, I'm just sad that it's taken me twenty years and five kids to realize that she was nothing compared to you. Don't you ever think any less of yourself; you're amazing and I love you."

Olivia didn't know what else to say. Nobody had ever said such words to her and meant it, but Olivia could tell that Elliot meant every single word. He wasn't running away from her. He was staying right here, staring into her eyes. For the first time in her life, she wasn't scared of, she didn't have an urge to run. Mixed in the swirls of cobalt blue, she could see a future – right here, with this beautiful man and those five beautiful kids. She trusted him with everything; she would always trust him with everything in her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He pulled her into his lap and kissed her cheek a few times, rubbing her back as he felt her shake a bit – a clear sign that she was crying.

But he didn't get a chance to ask what was wrong. When she lifted her head, she pressed a kiss to his lips, stroking his cheek gently before then pulling away and whispering;

"I love you too, more than anything."

* * *

Elliot and Olivia ended up falling asleep in each other's arms after their rather emotional conversation, as they just felt an intense need to be close. Olivia felt so emotionally drained, to the point where she stayed wrapped up with Elliot all night and for the first time in a long time, she actually slept properly. Elliot too slept properly after hearing everything about her. The fact that she opened up completely and exposed her vulnerability to him only made him fall for her more, and all he wanted to do was hold her and keep her safe for the rest of their lives.

The alarm from her phone started to chirp away around five-thirty, making the couple groan tiredly as the irritating sound interrupted their sleep. Olivia rolled over and switched off the alarm, before sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Even though she had slept pretty well, she felt like could sleep a lot longer than this. Hell, she was tired.

"Liv."

She looked over her shoulder; Elliot was giving her a tired smile. She smiled slightly and laid back down for a bit, snuggling into him and placing a kiss onto his chin.

"Just stay with me all day." He mumbled. She giggled a bit, squeezing him.

"I wish, but I need to go to work," she pressed a kiss to his lips, before looking up at him; "Elliot, we're okay right? After everything I told you…we're okay?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" He raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her; "Olivia, I love you…every single part of you, honey; I don't care about your past…it doesn't make me love you any less."

Olivia swallowed the lump in her throat, before wrapping her arm around him and hugging him yet again. She kissed his cheek then his lips, taking a deep breath as a feeling of warmth spread through her.

"I love you," She quickly kissed him again; "Get some more sleep, before you have to get up for the kids." She kissed him once again, before then rolling out of bed. She glanced back at him as she reached her en suite and smiled to herself as she saw him snuggle into her pillow and nod off again. She wished she could stay with him, but duty called, and she had a job to do.

About an hour later, she had finished getting ready for the day; she wore a pale blue scrub top and a pair of black scrub bottoms, and black shoes. She pulled on Elliot's hoodie and grabbed her phone, and lightly kissed his cheek and whispered that she loved him before leaving the room. She moved quietly throughout the apartment and went about her normal routine – stuffed her essentials into her bag, toasted a bagel and spread some cream cheese over it once it was finished, and filled her travel mug with coffee – just her normal morning antics. She made sure she was quiet, however, as she didn't want to wake the girls, whom were sleeping on the sofa bed just some feet away from her kitchen.

"Liv."

Olivia turned around; Lizzie had woken up and was coming over to her. Olivia gave her a small smile.

"I hope I didn't wake you up, honey; I was trying to be quiet." She bit her lip before taking a sip of her coffee.

"No, I had a weird dream – that's all," Lizzie paused for a second, stepping closer; "Um…Liv, be careful at work, and don't let my mother intimidate you."

Olivia was confused, and for a second, she wondered what that dream Lizzie had, had been about. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by her phone buzzing, which was a text from Casey telling her that she was outside. She looked back at Lizzie again, before simply nodding as she dropped her phone into her bag then grabbed her bagel and coffee.

"I'll be okay, honey; I promise," she quickly pecked the young girl on the cheek; "Lock the door behind me, please, and help yourself to any food, and have a good day at school."

Lizzie bid her farewell, and Olivia smiled before leaving the apartment. As she made it outside and slipped into Casey's car, she was still a little concerned about what Lizzie had said – about having a weird dream, and about her being careful.

Maybe it was nothing, maybe she was paranoid. Yet maybe, she had a right to be frightened about the thought of what an enraged Kathy Stable was capable of.

* * *

 ** _So...is Olivia being paranoid or should she really be careful at work? Wonder what Lizzie's dream was about...we might find that out in the next update. For now though, leave some reviews and all that. Until next time xoxo_**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey guys.**

 **I'm here with chapter 22 finally! In this one, Elliot talks to his buddy about the house, and Olivia has a tough morning at work, especially when she sees a familiar face. Oh...and Elliot has a chat with Kathy, gives her a warning...you know.**

 **Please enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends**

 **Part 22**

"Alright you guys let's get going!"

Kathleen loaded Olivia's dishwasher with their bowls, cups, and cutlery while the twins grabbed their bags. Elliot finished wiping Eli's mouth and hands before scooping him up into his arms. The kids were going to school and Eli was going to daycare, and Elliot was taking full advantage of this day off by using the morning to speak with his friend in an attempt to get this five-bedroom house as quickly as possible, and the afternoon would be spent talking with his lawyer.

Soon enough, Elliot and the kids were loaded into his Jeep and were headed back into Queens. The ride was smooth and quick, and before long, the older kids were all dropped off at their private preparatory school. Elliot then dropped Eli off at daycare, before then driving towards the five-bedroom house where he would be meeting his friend.

The two-story home was a spacious, brick structure located a couple blocks from the former Stabler home. The front and back yard were spacious, the driveway was smoothly paved and there was a two-car garage and a loft just above the garage that could be used as an extra room. The kitchen was spacious with marble counters and wooden cabinets, with stainless steel appliances and a wooden island in the middle with marble tops as well. There was a dining room was spacious with shiny wooden floors and cream-colored walls, and down the hall a little ways from the dining room was the bathroom and eventually the back doors that led to a spacious patio and spacious backyard. The living room was spacious with beige wall to wall carpets and white walls with, and to the side of the living room was a room to be used as an in-home gym. The stairs to the second floor as well as the entire second floor – minus the bathroom in the hall – were covered with beige wall to wall carpeting as well. The five bedrooms were spacious, and the master bedroom had its own spacious bathroom as well.

The house was really perfect, and Elliot was praying he could get it.

"Elliot!"

He smiled at the dark skinned, bald man that greeted him with a friendly smile and handshake.

"Hey Brad," he smiled before nodding at the house, "So…what can ya do for me?"

"Well, lucky for you, I do need to get this house off my hands," Brad led him up the walkway way so that Elliot would be able to see the place in person, versus what he had just seen in pictures; "Not that there's anything wrong with it. It's more like I've had this place on my hands for the past four years and it's costing me more to keep it in top condition rather than just sell it."

"Why is nobody trying to buy it? It looks great from the pictures." Elliot wondered as they stepped into the house. He looked around the large foyer and smiled; the house already looked better in person than it was on the pictures he had seen.

"It's pricey, especially for this neighborhood," Brad explained as they walked through to the living room, "For you, I can swing something. Plenty of space for you and the family."

"Whoa," Elliot paused, stopping in the doorway that led to the room off the side of the living room; "Kathy's not moving in here; it's just me and the kids." He turned to his friend with a confused look on his face; Brad chuckled and shook his head.

"I know that, prick; I'm talking about Benson – _Olivia."_ He smirked and wagged his eyebrows, and Elliot simply laughed.

"I haven't even asked her to move in, I don't even know if she'd want to," he shrugged as he continued into the spacious room, "I mean I've thought about it, but I don't know."

"Ask her bro, she seems solid…she's definitely in this for the long haul unlike Kathy," Brad shrugged before waving for him to follow, "I told you years ago when I met her that she was trouble."

"Shut up, don't remind me about the time I wasted with her," Elliot nudged him as they made their way through to the kitchen, "Don't get me wrong, I love Eli to death, but damn I wish I had him with Liv instead of Kathy; hell…I wish I hadn't even been married for anything when I met Liv; she could've been the mother to my kids."

"I feel you bro; I only met Olivia the other day when you guys came by the office about this house but even I know how much you two fit together, it's like she was made for you and truthfully, I'm happy for you, brother," Brad patted him on the back before continuing, "Come on, let me show you the rest of this house then we can talk business."

Elliot nodded, smiling as they made their way through the rest of the house. He found himself falling in love with the rest of the house – including the spacious bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as the spacious backyard. He also loved the fact that the house was surrounded by a tall fence, providing the security needed for his family. He loved this house, and he needed it now.

"So whatcha think man? You want this house?" Brad asked once they made their way back outside.

"You know I do, brother," Elliot nodded his head, "So what's the plan?"

"Well, let's head back to my office so we can negotiate." Brad told him. Elliot nodded in agreement before slipping into his Jeep. He quickly shot a text to Olivia to tell her what he was doing and tell her he loved her, then he followed Brad back towards the downtown area, so they could go to his office to talk.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mercy General Hospital was bustling away with patients due to a few accidents on the streets of the city, causing the emergency room to be more fast paced than normal. Casey and Olivia were only about three hours into what was going to be twelve-hour shift, and they didn't see a break in sight. The patients were piling in and they had charts stacked on their areas at the desk with information ready to be put into the computer. They weren't working much together as they were both dragged in different directions, but they would exchange a glance and shake their heads in despair whenever they did pass each other as it was clear – with every snappy or demanding patient – it was going to be a long day. The only plus side was that the two had been successful in avoiding Kathy Stabler all day as she was somewhere assisting with a surgery, so they hadn't had to worry about the harsh glares or snide comments from her.

"Excuse me…I need more pain medicine!"

Olivia stopped in her tracks as one of the patients she had been taking care of hollered for her attention. If it was one thing she hated, she hated patients like this. She had just given the woman some pain medicine only an hour ago, and now she wanted even more? Patients like these reminded her of her mother, and after her chat with Elliot last night, this was not at all what she needed to think about right now.

She took a deep breath and shook off the negative thoughts that were threatening to invade her mind, before making her way over to the older woman was quickly as her shoes could take her. The woman even looked like Serena Benson, with her dirty blonde hair and blue eyes that looked cold and careless.

Olivia shuddered a bit before responding; "Miss Adams, I just gave you pain medicine an hour ago."

"And I'm in pain now, I need more." The woman argued.

"I can't give you anymore right now, it's not time for anymore," Olivia shrugged a bit, "I'm sor-"

"I said I need pain medicine and you're going to give it to me!" the woman argued, grabbing hold of Olivia's wrist and squeezing hard. Olivia snatched her arm away, and the woman's husband jumped up from his spot beside the bed.

"Hey, get a grip, Carla; leave the girl alone," he scolded her before looking at Olivia, "I'm so sorry, ma'am; she has…a problem."

Olivia nodded, brushing off the incident before making her way towards the nurses' station. She took a deep breath to compose herself. She didn't want anyone to know how that encounter had really shaken her up a bit; she just needed to hold her head up and get through this shift and that's what she was determined to do. Still, she just wanted to get out of here as she felt a little out of it. She was still thinking of everything she had told Elliot, and with the way that patient had just grabbed her wrist, she really felt off.

"Liv, you okay?"

She looked up; Casey was standing before her with concern etched across her face. She simply smiled a bit and nodded her head as she didn't want Casey to worry too much.

"I'm fine," she took the chart from Casey's hand, "Another one?"

"Over there, bed four." Casey pointed in the direction before rushing off to tend to another patient whom had been waiting. Olivia sighed, then went off to the bed in the emergency room. She fiddled with her pen as she made her way over, then pushed the curtain aside.

"Hello, I'm-"

"Olivia?"

Olivia's eyes went wide as she focused her gaze properly on the woman in the bed. Those blue eyes were familiar and shaped very much like her own, the dirty blonde hair was contained into a top bun. She was dressed in a yellow dress and white cardigan sweater, but the look on her face was one of shock, confusion…everything.

And Olivia felt like she was going to faint.

"M-Mom?"

She then looked down at the chart, and her throat went dry as she read the name; _Serena Benson._

The woman she hadn't seen in twenty years was now on a bed in the emergency room where she was a nurse. This was at time where Olivia wanted the ground to swallow her up. Between being consumed by the thoughts of things she had told Elliot which opened a lot of old wounds, then having to be here and dealing with the belligerent patient and now the one woman she had ran across the country from – it was too much to handle.

She saw Serena open her mouth again, but she didn't even let her get a word out. She backed away quickly and rushed back to the nurses' station. She handed the chart off to their only male nurse – a guy named Ryan – before then bolting off towards the bathroom. She needed to step away from the chaos for a moment because right now, it was too much, and she felt like she was about to faint.

She splashed some cold water over her face a couple times then looked up in the mirror. She could see it in her eyes – the unhappiness, the pain from all the wounds she had ripped open last night when talking to Elliot. She was perfectly fine before she talked about all of that, but now it was all she could think about and she just wanted to sleep and forget about it. Now to top it off, she had a patient that reminded her of Serena, then had _Serena_ herself as a patient until she shoved the chart into someone else's hands. That was the most baffling part – the fact that Serena was here and in her emergency room. Hell, it was baffling that she was here in New York City in general. She hadn't seen the woman in twenty years, literally; she hadn't even come to the city when Olivia's Aunt Marsha passed away a couple years earlier. Now, she had no idea why the hell she was seeing her again as she was sure she never _would_ have to see her.

She wanted Elliot. Fuck…she just wanted him to hold her and make all this go away.

She pulled her phone from her pocket and looked at the screen, finally coming across the message Elliot had sent about half an hour earlier.

 _'Elliot: 10:15am – Hey beautiful. Just met with my buddy Brad about the house, gonna go discuss business now so fingers crossed. Miss you…hopefully see you for lunch. I love you.'_

She breathed out, reading the message again, especially the last part. She hoped to God he would be able to see her for lunch because she really needed to see him. She took another deep breath, then began texting away as she replied to him;

 _'10:48am – Hey you; good luck! Miss you so much, hoping to God we can meet for lunch…I need a hug_ _I love you too, so much El.'_

She put her phone back into her pocket then looked in the mirror. She rolled her shoulders and took another deep breath, finally feeling strong enough to get back out there. She made her way back out and around the corner, heading back into the emergency room with a determined look on her face. It was busy and chaotic, but she was going to get through this – she _had_ to get through this.

* * *

 _Buzz Buzz Buzz!_

Olivia jumped as her phone buzzed beside her. It was now a few hours later – just after two – and the emergency room had finally calmed down. Olivia had managed to keep her head above water as she worked and took care of patients – some she was able to send home, others she had to have transported up to other rooms as they were being admitted to the hospital. Kathy had come back around noon, but she hadn't really said anything to her or Casey and hadn't glared at them, which was a surprise. Olivia had no idea what happened to Serena and really, she didn't want to know. Casey apologized repeatedly when Olivia told her about the woman, but Olivia told her not to worry as she had no way of knowing – which was true, as Olivia hadn't even told Casey about her mother.

Olivia clicked submit on another electronic record once she was done filling out information. She had finished filling out information on the patients she had, which meant she could relax a little more. She grabbed her phone and pressed the button, and smiled when she saw that Elliot had text again;

 _'Elliot: 2:10pm – Are you able to go to lunch?'_

 _'2:11pm – I am able to go to lunch! Where are you?'_

 _'Elliot: 2:11pm – Good because I'm outside lol emergency room staff entrance'_

Olivia practically leaped with joy as the happiness suddenly flooded through her. She pulled on the hoodie and told Casey that she was going for lunch, then grabbed her phone and rushed to the locker room. She grabbed her bag, then made her way outside, where she saw Elliot waiting for her outside his Jeep. She practically ran to him and threw her arms around him, hugging him as tight as possible as he hugged her back.

"I missed you." She mumbled. She knew she had only seen him this morning, but still, after the hellish morning she had, this was all she had wanted more than anything.

"I missed you too," he kissed the top of her head, "Come on, let's go get something to eat."

Olivia smiled as they pulled apart. She stood on her toes to kiss his cheek, then slipped into the passenger seat. Elliot closed the door for her, then came around and got into the driver's seat. He pulled off towards the road, all the while Olivia smiled at him from the passenger seat as she was so glad to be with him again.

And both of them were totally unaware that a certain person had seem them and was now shaking as rage coursed through her. She watched the vehicle drive away, then decided that it was time she herself take a lunch break as well. She would just casually turn up wherever they were.

Elliot drove them to their favorite diner, then helped her out of the vehicle. He held her hand tightly as they made their way inside, the waitress led them to their familiar table. They ordered their usual lunch meals – fresh lemonade, a chicken Caesar salad for Olivia, and a cheeseburger and extra fries for Elliot, extra as he knew Olivia would eat some of his fries anyway. Once the waitress walked away, Elliot and Olivia turned their attention back to each other.

"How's work been today?" He asked.

"Annoying," Olivia immediately rolled her eyes; "I mean granted I'm sorry that there's been so many mishaps and situations that have landed people in the hospital, but dammit…New York City never takes a break, do they? An hour and a half ago was the first time I had sat down properly since I started work at seven."

"Damn baby, that's rough," Elliot looked genuinely concerned; "Make sure you're looking after yourself too, please. You sure you're okay?"

Olivia shrugged, before sighing; "I saw my mother."

Elliot tilted his head in confusion; "Someone reminded you of-"

"No Elliot…she's here, in New York. She was over on a bed and Casey didn't realize who she was; I've never told Casey," Olivia rubbed her hand over her head; "She handed me the chart and told me that the woman was on the bed, I went over to introduce myself and there she was. She said my name and everything."

"What happened after that?" He asked. They paused for a second when the waitress came over to put their lemonades down, then looked at each other once she walked away.

"I panicked and rushed away; gave the chart to someone else and went to the bathroom," Olivia let out a dark chuckle; "I'm so pathetic; thirty-six and still running from my mother like a scared sixteen-year-old."

"Hey, don't…don't do that," Elliot reached over and took her hand; "You went through hell, so it's bound to have a lasting effect on you, baby; you're not pathetic at all."

"I just…I feel like it was one step to talk about her last night, but seeing her today is too much," she shook her head in despair; "She didn't even come to my Aunt Marsha's funeral a couple years back…you know that too because you were there with me. I just don't get why she's here now."

"Do you want to see her or hear her out?" Elliot asked. Olivia simply shrugged. She really had no idea what she wanted to do. All she knew right now was that there was too much chaos surrounding her and instead of facing it, she wanted to hide away somewhere until it was all over.

Elliot gave a small smile and squeezed her hand; "I'll support you in anything you want to do. If you want to face her, then great – I got your back. If not, then that's cool too, and I'll just tell her to leave you the fuck alone."

Olivia laughed, squeezing his hand in return. However, her smile suddenly faded when she saw a person enter the diner, it seemed that the brief period of happiness was now gone again as she laid eyes on this figure that she wished would just disappear.

"Speaking of such, I'm about to tell this bitch the same thing." She mumbled. Elliot gave a confused look before looking over his shoulder, only to roll his eyes and groan.

"Oh f-"

"Elliot!"

Both Elliot and Olivia looked up as Kathy made her way towards them. Olivia immediately screwed her face up as she had, had just about enough of everything today, and Elliot just wanted Kathy to disappear. As much as he loved his kids, he hated that it was with her as it meant that no matter what, she would always be connected to him in some way.

"I need to talk to you, El…about the kids." Kathy spoke as she approached the table. She didn't even look in Olivia's direction, but Olivia knew that she could feel her burning gaze on her. Really, Olivia was just trying not to jump up and punch her as she'd had just about enough for her.

"You treat _my_ kids like shit so don't even, and I'm having lunch with Olivia right now so we won't talk about this now," Elliot spoke in a flat voice, not at all showing any enthusiasm about speaking to her; "I have a meeting with my lawyer, I'm in the process of getting a house, so Kathleen, the twins, and Eli are gonna be with me and that's that."

He then suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her to sit beside him, and Olivia watched with wide eyes as he took on a tone that she had never heard him use before. He was beyond angry, and when she heard his words, it was clear why;

"But since you're here, let's talk about something else," he was speaking quietly as to not attract any attention from other customers, but the threat was clear; "If you ever so much as imply that Olivia will get hurt, or come to her apartment to threaten or assault her ever again, I will have you arrested and I will do everything in my power to make the charges stick and you will never so much as even get a minute's worth of visitation with my kids. I'm done with you and I'm done with this marriage, and I don't want to have to have this conversation again – do I make myself clear Kathy?"

Kathy's eyes went wide; it being clear to Olivia that even the woman that was his wife for so long had never heard such a tone. There was such a bitterness in his tone, the venom dripping off every word as he glared at the woman beside him. She simply nodded her head, swallowing nervously as she looked between him and Olivia before scurrying away from the table. Elliot breathed out then looked at Olivia, who started laughing as she reached across to stroke his cheek.

"You scared her," she leaned over and kissed his lips, whispering; "Thank you."

"I'm just sick of her and the sooner this divorce is pushed through, the better." Elliot replied, rolling his eyes.

Some moments later, their food finally arrived at the table. The two chatted about lighter topics as they ate their lunch; the pointless conversation and the fact that they were together helped ease their minds of the chaos surrounding their lives. Olivia felt completely safe with Elliot by her side and for once, she wasn't worried about the case against her rapist, or Serena Benson, or Kathy; nothing. She was just feeling calm with having Elliot here and talking about anything. Granted, she still wanted the chaos to end, but she also knew that as long as Elliot was by her side, she could get through anything.

"Oh yeah," she swallowed the bite of salad she had taken before speaking; "The house situation – what's up with it?"

Elliot immediately began smiling at the mention of the house, which allowed him to remember the other reason he had brought Olivia to lunch. He swallowed his bite of cheeseburger and wiped his mouth with a napkin then looked up at her again, while she was grinning from ear to ear and practically about to jump out of her seat in anticipation.

"I got it."

Olivia let out a squeal before quickly quieting down while looking around to make sure nobody heard her, though she had attracted a few looks from fellow dining patrons. Elliot chuckled at how excited she was, while she reached over and took his hand while squeezing.

"How did you manage? I know it was a little pricey but-"

"Brad has had that house on his hands for the last few years and he wanted it gone," Elliot shrugged, "Nothing wrong with it, he said it was just costing him more to keep it going than to just sell it. It's perfect and it just feels like a home, you know; so, we talked and negotiated, and he gave me a good deal on it and well…that's that."

"When do you move in?" Olivia wondered as she popped one of his fries into her mouth.

"I'm calling tomorrow to get the power and water turned on, and we can move in by the weekend," he leaned closer, "So we need to pack up your apartment."

Olivia choked on the salad she was eating; she coughed a couple times before managing to swallow, then took a swig of her lemonade. She looked at Elliot for any sign that he was joking, but she could see by his face that he wasn't joking at all. He was smiling at her, but he was serious.

"You're serious?" she asked.

"Hell yeah, I'm serious," Elliot leaned closer, giving her the most adorable look; "Olivia, I want you to move in with me and the kids."

"Elliot, we've only been together like a week, and-"

"And…what?" Elliot took her hand in his, keeping his gaze locked on her brown eyes; "Liv, we've known each other for what – twenty years? Sure, we've only been romantic for a week, but we've been best friends for twenty years and connected for so long. What we have isn't new, Liv. Just…at least think about it?"

Olivia paused for a second. Elliot was right – they had known each other for so long. His kids had practically grown up with her around and they didn't seem to mind that they had crossed into this new stage within their relationship. Still, she was worried that they would think it was too fast and hell, it was too fast for her. She was just getting used to the fact that the lines between them could be crossed, she was just getting used to calling him her _boyfriend_ and all that other affectionate stuff. But he was right – what they had wasn't new. They had felt these intense feelings for each other for years now and while their actions were new, the feelings weren't.

But still, she was just torn between wanting to take the step and go ahead to move in with him, and simply keeping a little space between them for a little while longer.

Maybe she needed to think about it.

"I'll…I'll think about it." She told him, nodding her head.

"That's all I ask," Elliot gave her a smile, then continued; "But in the meantime, help us move in at least? If you don't mind?"

"Well someone has to help you organize your shit, Stabler, so of course I'll help you move in," she took a sip of her drink and swallowed, "Besides, I just wanna see the look on Kathy's face when I show up to the house with you guys on Saturday to help you pack the rest of your shit." An evil smirk came across her face and Elliot simply burst out laughing, before leaning across the table to place a delicate kiss onto her lips.

"I love you, Benson."

She smirked, stroking a finger down his nose; "I love you too, Stabler."

And as the two continued eating their lunch together, they were completely oblivious to the woman watching them from the other end of the diner; a woman trying so hard to figure out how she could get the brunette alone to talk to her.

* * *

 ** _And there we have it - another chapter. Leave some feedback guys. Until next time my friends...xoxo_**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm back with a new update. Just a little one today - Kathleen and Olivia have a sort of stepmama to stepdaughter chat and Olivia gives her some advice, but then, Elliot reveals whether or not Kathy has a connection to the perp that hurt Olivia. Dun dun dun.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends**

 **Part 23**

The rest of Olivia's day ran pretty smoothly. After her lunch with Elliot, she was able to focus more on her work and actually felt a little better. Her mother and the scars from her past were still in the back of her mind, but she was managing to keep them at bay and focus on her patients. Kathy had been ignoring her for the most part, but she had glared at Olivia a couple of times, though Olivia seemed to glare right back at her. She managed to push through the rest of the shift and by seven thirty, she and Casey were walking out of the door together.

The ride to Olivia's apartment building was short, but Olivia was quiet for the most part. She was still thinking about Elliot's offer regarding their living situation. She loved Elliot and his kids – there was no doubt about that – but she was still a little unsure about moving in with him. She was more so scared of something happening, especially since she had the tendency to run when things started getting a little too serious. But on the flip side, wasn't it already serious enough with him and his kids staying in her apartment, and with the two of them sleeping in the same bed on a night? She just felt scared and confused, and she hated that. She felt like it should be an easy decision considering how much she loved the man, but it wasn't – and it was all because of her insecurities.

"Liv."

She looked up, only to realize that they had stopped outside her apartment building. She looked to the side of her and saw that Casey was staring at her with a concerned expression; "What?"

"You were miles away," Casey furrowed her brow, "You still thinking about your mother or?"

"No…no," Olivia breathed out, shaking her head, "It's something though, but I'll tell you about it tomorrow – I'm too tired to get into it now."

"You and Elliot okay?" Casey immediately asked. Olivia chuckled a bit; the worried look on her friend's face was comical. Her and Elliot's friends had seen the chemistry and tension and love between them over the years, so it was only natural that they all wanted things to work between the pair.

"We're perfect, Case, don't worry," Olivia sighed a bit, "Look, I have a meeting with the Assistant District Attorney tomorrow to go over stuff about this case against that Mark prick, and then me and you will meet up for lunch to talk? Good idea?"

"Sounds great," Casey enveloped her in a huge hug, "Night Benson, you know I've always got your back."

"I know, and I got yours too," Olivia pulled away and opened the car door, "Goodnight Novak!" She grabbed her bag and shut the door, before up to the door. She put in her code and slipped into the building, then took the few flights of stairs up to the fourth floor where her apartment was. She slipped the key into the lock and opened the door, smirking as she saw the older kids at the table with their homework while Eli was playing with blocks on the floor.

Elliot was nowhere in sight.

"Hey guys," she greeted, capturing their attention, "Where's your father?" She smiled as Eli ran up to her, leading her to put her bag down before scooping the tot up into her arms.

"Well, he picked us up from school but then he had to go to the precinct; Fin called him about something," Kathleen explained; she then gestured over to the counter, "There's some pizza left; we got a pepperoni, and a supreme one with jalapenos added."

"Thanks guys," she kissed their cheeks while keeping Eli in her arms, "You all had a good day?"

"It was great, apart from the lawyer guy calling us out of class to ask us what Dad was like." Lizzie remarked, crinkling her nose up in annoyance. Olivia's eyes went wide as she made her way to the kitchen area.

"What the f…what?" she stopped herself from swearing, remembering that Eli was on her hip.

"Yeah; Mom's lawyer – I remember him, the guy that ran out of our house that night," Dickie pointed out, "But yeah, called us out of class to see what Dad was like. He was asking us all sorts of things, Liv…asking if Dad was violent or mean to us, asking if he was ever there for us…everything."

Olivia didn't know what was worse – the fact that a lawyer approached the kids at school, or the fact that Kathy's boyfriend was her own lawyer.

"I hate that guy," Kathleen pointed out, looking up from the notes she was taking as she held a text book in her lap; "He knows exactly who we are and knows who Dad is, yet he's doing this…just trying to get us to be with Mom all the time. I told Dad when we got in the car and he was so pissed."

"I would've been too, that's messed up," Olivia paused, kissing Eli's cheek before putting him down onto the floor, "Was your dad alright?"

"He said he met with his lawyer today and he said his case was strong, so he's okay but he was just so annoyed about that," Kathleen shrugged, "But anyway, yeah…he should be back soon, he's been gone for about an hour."

Olivia nodded, then turned her attention to the pizza on the counter. She smiled at Eli, whom was following her around as she moved through the kitchen area to get her pizza. He was holding a cuddly toy and babbling away while saying ' _Livie'_ every now and then and looking up at her. She would simply respond with an enthusiastic face while nodding as she pretended to know what he was talking about, and he would simply giggle and give her that smile that made him look even more like his father.

Olivia soon found herself sitting at the table, chatting to the kids while they did their work and she ate her pizza. Eli was sitting in her lap, leaning against her with his head on her shoulder. They talked about the various assignments they were doing; Dickie though seemed more interested in his gym class while Lizzie was happily discussing something science related that Olivia tried to keep up with. Kathleen was giggling at her sister and brother while she worked on her English assignment, but Olivia could see by the look on her face that something was bothering her.

A short while later, the twins had finished their work and went over to the sofa to watch television and play with Eli. This left Kathleen and Olivia at the table together; Olivia was scrolling through some things in her phone and Kathleen was still working on her English assignment.

"Liv, can I talk to you?"

She looked up; Kathleen was looking at her with a look in her eyes that Olivia couldn't quite read. She pushed her plate aside and put her phone down, giving her full attention to the teenager; "This gotta do with what you wanted to talk to me about a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah, it does," Kathleen sighed; "I'm scared to talk to Dad about it, especially because we're so… _Catholic._ " She rolled her eyes and Olivia giggled a bit, rubbing her arm.

"Well whatever it is, it can't be that bad," she assured her; "Come on, tell me what's going on, honey."

"How did you know you were in love?" Kathleen suddenly asked, folding her arms across her stomach as she turned to face Olivia properly.

"Wow…um…" Olivia paused, thinking for a second; "I knew I was in love when I couldn't stop thinking about the person, or whenever they came around, I felt all fluttery and couldn't stop smiling. I tried to deny how I felt because the person wasn't available for a long time, but yeah…I couldn't stop."

Kathleen was listening intently, while Olivia had a small, adorable smile on her face as she continued to talk;

"Put it this way, Katie; I had a shitty life until I moved here at sixteen, and those experiences shaped my views of myself and that's why I never let anyone get too close; nobody ever made me love myself before and made me feel safe. But like…with the person I felt so strongly for…I felt safe, like I could always be myself. He didn't judge me about my life before I came here, and for once, I've learned to start loving myself despite the chaos around me, all because of him. And also…I'm not scared, and I can see a future with him; that's how I knew I was in love."

Kathleen swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked to keep the tears at bay; "Damn, you and Dad are perfect for each other."

"He is absolutely perfect, and all of those reasons…that's how I knew I was in love with him, especially lately," Olivia chuckled a bit; "Who's the guy then? Do I need to tell your dad to run a background check?"

Kathleen hesitated for a moment, then quietly replied; "A guy in my chemistry class…he's my best friend actually; his name is Malcom." Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red and Olivia smirked, pinching her cheek.

"Yeah, I'm definitely having your dad run a background check just to make sure this guy is good enough for my Katie," she winked before laughing; "Katie, breathe; it's okay honey. If you wanna hear a secret, I've secretly had some feelings bordering on 'love' towards your father since I was sixteen; it's never too early and there's nothing wrong with being in love with your best friend."

"So, what should I do?" Kathleen asked.

"Talk to him, maybe ask if he wants to hang out or something – keep it subtle." Olivia advised. Kathleen nodded, taking a deep breath before hugging Olivia.

"Thanks, I've just been so confused," she mumbled before pulling away; "I want to ask him to hang out but I don't want to screw up our friendship and I know people will have something to say since I've only just helped him through his break up like two weeks ago, but I also see him look at me the way dad looks at you. But I'm still feeling a bit stuck on what to do," She scoffed; "Ugh…it's so-"

"Complicated?" Olivia smirked with a raised eyebrow while Kathleen nodded and rolled her eyes. Olivia let out a laugh; "Katie, that was the exact thing with me and your father – complicated. I was already freaking out because I was trying to help him through the split with your mother, and I was worried about what people would think if we ended up together so quickly. But it was him who kinda pushed it, you know…so it made it easier, and I took a chance."

"Do you think you made the right call – taking a chance with Dad?" Kathleen curiously asked.

"Honestly, at first, I was nervous about it and thinking maybe I had made a mistake, but when I told your father all the secrets about my past and didn't see a hint of judgment or disgust, I knew I had made the right call. Your father loves me, despite my past and all the flaws and shit; he loves me," she placed a hand on the teenager's shoulder; "That's the important thing. Take a chance and be happy with someone who will love you despite all the flaws and imperfections. Do you think that, that person is Malcom?"

"He knows so much about me and never judges me, he's actually…he's like Dad is with you." Kathleen replied, biting her lip. Olivia smiled, squeezing her hand.

"Then go for it, talk to him and see what happens," she stood up to take her plate to the sink; "Also, remind him that you have a father with a temper and a badass, sort of stepmother. I may be a nurse, but I'm damn good with a gun. If he hurts you, I'm shooting him."

She then made her way over to the sink while Kathleen cackled away, thanking her through the fits of laughter she had launched into. Olivia smiled and squeezed her shoulder before walking through to the bedroom to finally shower.

And she smiled to herself as the word floated around in her head; _stepmother._ She may have just used it in a joking sense when talking to Kathleen, but part of her hoped that maybe one day, that would be a reality. The thought didn't make her feel scared or anxious; she felt excited.

To one day become Mrs. Elliot Joseph Stabler and be a stepmother to the Stabler children? That would be truly amazing.

* * *

Olivia showered and changed into a pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top; she ended up feeling way more refreshed and felt like she had washed away the chaos and negativity of the day. She joined the children in the living room afterwards and after some pleading, decided to let them watch a film. She and the kids were engrossed in the film by the time Elliot returned. He kissed the children on the forehead, then asked if he could talk to Olivia about something. She nodded and moved Eli so that he was sitting on the sofa between his sisters, then made her way through to the bedroom where Elliot had gone. She could see on his face that he was pissed off and worried all at once, leading her to quietly close the bedroom door before she then stepped closer to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, stroking her hands up and down his arms.

Elliot was silent for a moment. He then sighed and sat down on the side of the bed, then instantly pulled Olivia into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, stroking the back of his neck gently as she held him.

"What is it, honey?" she pressed a light kiss to his lips, mumbling; "Tell me."

"Fin went to the precinct today to work on some paperwork, and one of the unis came to him about the information they had on Mark," he paused for a second, then took a deep breath to calm down; "The prick does have a brother – Paul Samson, who is Kathy's divorce lawyer, and her-"

"Boyfriend." Olivia quietly finished. Elliot looked up at her with a raised eyebrow, and she elaborated; "The kids told me he came to their school today to talk to them; I think it's inappropriate."

"Oh, believe me, I'm ready to shoot the motherfucker myself," Elliot grumbled before continuing, "Anyway, that's what took me so long. Fin was telling me, then I called Rikers and had to wait forever for someone to check – the bastard is out on fucking bail, which is why I've got two squad cars parked outside this building."

Olivia felt the color drain from her face. The man who raped her was out of jail? He was freely walking the streets of New York City, without a care in the world? She shook slightly, though she took some deep breaths to try not to completely panic. Elliot wrapped his arms around her some more, rubbing his hand up and down her arms.

"Baby, I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you – I promise," he whispered, "Hey…" he turned her head, so she'd face him; "Nobody will hurt you as long as I'm around, you know that. Kathy wouldn't dare get involved and sent the bastard on you, especially not after I threatened her today plus she knows the kids are with me and she wouldn't put them in danger. I'll protect all of you with everything in me."

Olivia nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. She pressed a kiss to his lips, then snuggled into him as she murmured; "Hold me."

He nodded, turning his head to kiss her temple as he clung to her even more;

"I've got you."

* * *

 ** _Dun dun! I hope you guys enjoyed this. Please, leave some feedback - let me know what's up. Until next time...xoxo_**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm here with chapter 24. Olivia meets with Assistant District Attorney Rafael Barba, she has lunch with Casey, and Serena pops up again. Also...Olivia makes a decision, a very important one.**

* * *

 **Just Friends**

 **Part 24**

The impatient man looked at his watch and tapped his foot against the floor. She was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago accompanied by one of the detectives on her case. He shook his head and downed the rest of his coffee, then moved to pour himself another cup when the door opened;

"Sorry we're late, Barba!"

Rafael Barba looked up, watching as Detective Odafin Tutuola walked into the room with Olivia Benson, whom was one of the rape victims that decided to testify against Mark Weber. Only three – Olivia included – had agreed to do so, and the detectives were still working to get the other victim. For now, though, this was enough – Barba was sure of that.

"Detective Tutuola, Miss Benson – glad you two could make it." He spoke. Fin nodded and helped himself to some coffee, while Olivia sat down at the conference table. She was dressed rather professionally; black pencil skirt, light blue blouse under a black blazer, black heels. Her brunette locks were glossy and flowing down her back and over her shoulders, and she kept her make up to a minimum.

She was half listening to the conversation that the Assistant District Attorney was having with Fin, but really, se was thinking… _wishing_ that Elliot could have come with her. He had a meeting with the electrician today about his new house as he was trying to get things done today, so he had called Fin to accompany Olivia and be her support. Fin had agreed of course, as Olivia was like a little sister to her and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her.

"Okay Olivia, let's talk," Barba made his way over and sat across from her while Fin sat to the side of her; "Trial will work like this – we'll hear the defense's argument, I'll argue, and you'll have to sit on the witness stand and testify to the events of the night in question. The defense will argue about the events of the night – everything from what you were wearing to the results of the toxicology report."

"What does whatever I was wearing have to do with anything?" Olivia frowned. Barba held his hand up, shaking his head.

"Believe me, I wish I knew," he leaned closer; "But it has nothing to do with anything, but they will try to argue about it. I want you to be prepared and be ready. I hate that I'm gonna have to make you relive that night, but it's the way we are going to get justice. You'll just have to let me know if it's too much for you and we can stop."

Olivia swallowed the lump in her throat then quietly spoke; "I want to do it. I want to put him away."

Fin gave her a supportive pat on the shoulder to which she smiled. Barba gave her a supportive smile as well before opening the file he had for the case.

"Okay," he began; "The identification of Mark Weber; accurate? I'm asking because he defense will argue your accuracy due to the drug in your system."

"I'm sure it's him; the face, I didn't forget face, especially the eyes." Olivia explained. Barba nodded, scribbling notes down.

"The defense will argue about any biases you may have due to your close friendship with Detective Stabler…"

Olivia immediately tensed up at the mention of this. She hadn't even thought about what her relationship with Elliot would mean for this case. In fact, she hadn't really thought anything of that nature would matter. She glanced at Fin, who nodded at her.

Barba noticed be exchange between the pair and raised an eyebrow; "Something about Detective Stabler?"

"Well…um…" Olivia paused for a second before explaining; "He's kind of my boyfriend now. Is that a problem?"

"It won't be if nobody finds out about it; it's already common knowledge that the two of you are close friends, but if nobody finds out about this relationship then it shouldn't be a problem," Barba explained; "Off the record though, I'm happy for you both – you keep him calm."

Olivia smiled to herself, blushing slightly as she mumbled a quiet; "I try." to which Barba chuckled away to himself.

"She's good for Stabler; probably the best thing that's ever happened to him." Fin commented, a smirk on his lips while Olivia simply rolled her eyes. Barba was chuckling as well as he looked through the case file.

"I agree," he smirked then looked up; "Okay, now we're gonna go over your statement," he looked up into her eyes; "It's one-hundred-percent important that what you said in this statement matches what you say on that stand. Is there anything that myself or Detective Tutuola should know before we go over this?"

"Nothing; I told you everything." Olivia replied. Barba nodded his head.

"Okay," he grabbed the paper with her statement on; "You said to Detective Tutuola that you were with your friends – Casey Novak and Nick Amaro – when Mark Weber came up behind you – correct?"

"Correct." Olivia nodded her head.

"And he offered to buy you a drink and you accepted, and you looked away for a second – right?"

Olivia nodded, feeling the tears well up in her eyes as she recalled it. She shuddered a bit and swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to muster up the strength to get through this.

"You said that Casey and Nick asked if you wanted a coffee and you declined and opted to stay with Mark – yeah?"

"Mhm." Olivia hummed, nodding her head before whimpering; "I was having a nice time…and he seemed so nice." She bit her lip, allowing a couple tears to slip down her cheeks. Fin rubbed her shoulder in a supportive manner and Barba gave her a small smile; "We can stop if you want, Olivia?"

"No…no," she sniffled, wiping her eyes; "Let's just go on with this."

Barba nodded his head, sliding a box of tissues to her before looking at the statement again;

"Okay," he paused for a second; "Um…you said that you felt strange and he suggested you get some air, and you went outside but didn't see anyone else around."

"That's right," Olivia whimpered as a couple more tears slipped down her cheeks; "And the brick wall – I felt it behind me, and I felt his hands on my waist…and then it's kinda blank."

"And you don't remember consenting?" Barba asked. Olivia shook her head, wiping some tears away.

"No," she sniffled; "I never would have consented to _that_." She let out a sob as the memories came rushing back, and Fin shuffled closer and pulled her into a hug. He rubbed her back in a comforting manner, shushing her and whispering that she was alright now. Barba reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder, asking;

"Are you sure you can handle this, Olivia?"

Olivia swallowed and lifted her head from Fin's shoulder. She wiped her tears away with a tissue and nodded her head, trying to remain as strong as possible even though her spirit seemed to be on the verge of collapse again.

But she would not be silenced.

"I can do this."

* * *

Olivia spent another hour in Barba's office, going over more questions and making sure she was prepared for when this case did go to trial. She had cried a couple more times but had managed to keep going as she didn't want to stop. She was determined to keep fighting and to put this guy away if it was the last thing she ever did. She wasn't going to be silenced. She was a fighter – a _survivor._ She always had been.

It was roughly noon now, and she and Casey were meeting for lunch at an Italian restaurant that wasn't far from Olivia's apartment building. Fin had sweetly given her a lift from the District Attorney's office as he knew it would be hell to try and hail a cab at this hour of the day, and plus, he didn't like the idea of her walking the streets on her own.

"Okay baby girl, here's your stop," Fin remarked as he pulled to a stop in front of the restaurant, "You okay?"

"I'm good, Fin, I promise," Olivia turned to him, squeezing his arm, "Thank you for looking out for me."

"Hey, you're like my little sister, I got your back too," he reached over and gave her a quick hug and peck on the cheek; "Hey uh…Novak seeing anyone?"

Olivia smirked; "Nah, not as far as I know anyway," she leaned closer; "Why? Need me to put in a word?"

Fin chuckled, shrugging his shoulders; "Just tell her I said hey."

"Will do," Olivia laughed as she slipped out of her vehicle; "Bye Fin!"

"Later baby girl!" Fin hollered. Olivia waved again then rushed into the restaurant. She looked back, smiling as she saw Fin wave again once she was in safely before he then drove off. She looked around and suddenly spotted Casey waving from the far end of the restaurant. She made her way over and greeted her friend with a fist bump before sliding into the booth, sitting across the small table from her blonde-haired friend.

"You clean up nice, Benson." Casey smirked as she flagged down the waitress.

"I can take pride in my appearance unlike you," Olivia joked back, "Seriously though, you been waiting long?"

"Nope, I just got here probably about fifteen minutes ago, long enough to order water." Casey laughed. She paused as the waitress came over and took Olivia's order for a lemonade. She then turned back to her friend, whom was engrossed in her phone once the waitress had walked away, a cute smile on her face as her fingers danced across the screen of the smartphone.

"Elliot?" she smirked. Olivia looked up, nodding as she put the phone down and picked up the menu.

"Yeah, he was checking in on me," she breathed out; "God love him; he was so worried this morning – I told him that I'd be okay though because I was with Fin and their ADA is nice too; so, I was fine."

"He loves you, that's why he's so protective," Casey eyed her friend, smiling at how happy she seemed; "How did today go anyway?"

Olivia opened her mouth to answer but was distracted when the waitress returned with her lemonade and another water for Casey. The two girls then ordered their meals – Casey opted for lasagna and Olivia opted for ravioli. The waitress then walked away to go put their orders in while the girls turned back to each other.

"It went fine; I'm a little nervous about testifying but it'll be okay – I just want this prick off the streets and behind bars." Olivia replied.

"You sound like a cop."

"I'm best friends with a cop; you pick up on things."

"You're more than friends with a cop, Liv."

Olivia rolled her eyes and took a sip of her lemonade; "Speaking of cops, Fin told me to tell you hi."

Casey practically choked on her water and her eyes went wide while her cheeks flushed red. Olivia smirked, sipping her lemonade again before leaning back in her seat with her arms folded.

"Now who's blushing like a teenage girl?"

"Shut up," Casey whined; "Seriously though – he said hi?" Olivia could tell she was excited, and she found it to be quite adorable, but she wouldn't tease her friend about it – at least not right now.

"He did, I'm not kidding," she explained; "He asked if you were seeing someone and I told him that I didn't think you were, and he said to tell you hi."

Casey let out a sigh, leaning back in her seat and folding her arms; "I feel like I'm in seventh grade and the cute guy said hi to nerdy me."

Olivia burst out laughing at the funny comment. Leave it to Casey to come out with something like that. She had needed that good laugh and Casey being Casey was always one to provide the comedy when needed.

Damn – she loved her best friend.

The waitress returned a short while later with their meals, then walked away. The conversation switched as the two tucked into their food; Casey talked about what her plans were for the rest of the day, Olivia explained that she would probably just be hanging out at her apartment for the day as she didn't feel like doing much. The conversation switched to Elliot, and Olivia revealed that Elliot had gotten the house in Queens. That in turn led to Casey asking a question that Olivia had really tried not to think too much about;

"Are you moving in with him or staying in your apartment?"

Olivia hesitated for a second, munching on her ravioli before swallowing. She took a sip of her lemonade, then sighed; "That's what was on my mind last night, you know; when you asked me. He asked me that yesterday when we went to lunch, and I said I would at least think about it."

Casey raised an eyebrow. She put her fork down and wiped her hands then folded her arms across her chest.

"What's stopping you?"

Olivia paused for a second, then shrugged; "He only just split up with Kathy not long ago, what if the kids think it's too soon for me to move in and all that? I mean think about it; if I move in then it's pretty much permanent; at least them all staying with me now is temporary – what if they aren't ready for that?"

"Have the kids given any indication that they aren't ready for this?" Casey asked.

"Well, we were eating together this morning and Dickie asked if I was moving in with them, and Kathleen and Lizzie seemed to be on board with the idea too," Olivia tilted her head to the side, "But what if we don't work out? I'm not good at relationships, but also, it's crazy because the fact that it's getting so serious isn't even scaring me. I've been with Elliot for about a week, and all of this is already happening, but it's not even scaring me, and I don't know why."

Casey raised an eyebrow; "Earth to Olivia...you've known Elliot for twenty years, that's why none of this is scary. You know Elliot; you know he isn't someone that'll ever hurt you because you mean the world to him, you always have meant the world to him – even I could tell that and I haven't even seen the full twenty years of your relationship," she leaned her elbows on the table, stabbing at her lasagna with her fork;

"Tell me something; do you think Elliot would have asked if he wasn't serious about making this work with you? Can you see a future with Elliot?"

Olivia sighed a bit, her lips curling into a smile as she looked up at Casey again;

"Whenever I look into those eyes, Casey, I can see a future – with him, with his kids, maybe with kids of our own. The other night when I told him all the things about me that I had never said before, he didn't flinch or look disgusted or anything – it just made him love me and want to protect me even more…" she paused for a second, swallowing the lump in her throat as she became increasingly emotional;

"He wouldn't have asked me if he wasn't serious…I know he wouldn't have."

Casey smiled softly, reaching across and taking her hand; "Then what's the problem? Olivia, you've had to fend for yourself for so long. Let him in, let him love you…let this be a new beginning for both of you."

Olivia swallowed, allowing a couple tears to slip down her cheeks. Casey was right. There was nothing to be scared of really, and she had been fighting for herself for so long that she almost didn't know how to let anyone in. However, with Elliot, she was more than willing to open up. She loved him. She had been in love with him for so long and now, it was time to be happy, and it was time for a new beginning.

And this new beginning started with her taking the leap and moving in with him, becoming a family with him and his children.

* * *

Olivia returned to her apartment a while later. After lunch, she and Casey had made a quick stop to a bakery to pick up some donuts to satisfy their cravings for sweets, then Casey dropped her off at her apartment building. Olivia went inside and made sure to lock the doors behind her as despite having a nice day, she was still a little paranoid due to the fact that her attacker was out on bail. She tried not to think much about it though, but it was still a little scary.

She put her bag down along with the box of donuts before making her way through to the apartment to the bedroom. It was silent; the kids were at school still and Elliot was out sorting things for the house, though they would all probably be back soon. She sighed to herself and stripped down to her underwear, before deciding to take a shower to feel a little more refreshed. She just felt calm and at peace at this moment in time, and she wondered if it was because she had made a decision that would be the start of a beautiful beginning with the one person she trusted with her entire life.

After her shower, she dressed in a pair of yoga bottoms and one of Elliot's long, navy blue NYPD t-shirt. She gave her glossy brunette locks a quick blast with the hair dryer then tied them back into a messy ponytail, then made her way out to the living room area. Just as she had reached the living room area and put the television on to watch something, there was a knock at her door. She frowned in confusion and made her way to the door, checking the peephole straight away.

She gasped and stepped back; it was her mother.

How the hell did she find out where she lived?

She took a deep breath. She wasn't going to answer the door. She was going to ignore it and act as though she wasn't home.

She moved away from the door and went back towards the kitchen area, snatching her phone from the counter as she did so. She leaned against the counter and began texting, while more knocks were heard against her door.

 _'3:12pm – My mother is currently knocking on my door; have no idea why she knows where I live. I'm inside and not answering.'_

More knocks were heard, and her phone buzzed after a few moments;

 _'Elliot: 3:13pm – We just pulled up; on our way inside.'_

Olivia breathed out and put her phone onto the counter. She went back to the door and checked the peephole; her mother was still standing there, and she jumped when she started knocking again.

"Olivia," she could hear the muffled sound of her mother's voice through the door and she swallowed; "I saw you come into the building. Please, I just want to talk."

"I suggest you step away from the door." She heard another voice; it was Elliot.

She quickly moved the chain, and the locks clicked as Elliot had been using his key. The door opened slightly, and the kids stepped in; Dickie and Lizzie first, followed by Kathleen, whom was carrying Eli on her hip. Elliot was standing in the doorway, facing the shorter, older woman in the hallway. Olivia came up behind him, peering over his shoulder at the woman who had caused her more pain in the short span of sixteen years than she had ever experienced since.

The blue eyes caught sight of hers, and Serena spoke; "Olivia, please – talk to me?"

"I don't want to talk to you, so please leave." Olivia found her voice. She rested her hand on Elliot's arm, and he looked over his shoulder at her. He turned slightly to wrap his arm around her, pulling her to his side and stroking his hand down her arm. She felt safe with him there, yet it was still nerve wracking to face the woman who had abused her for simply existing.

"You're going to let this man make decisions for you?" Serena snarled, causing Olivia to jump; "I'm your mother!"

"This man picked up the pieces of the broken girl that was shattered by you," she snapped back, now stepping in front of Elliot, "He's not making any decision for me, this is all me; I don't want to talk to you and he's protecting me. Leave, before I have him arrest you."

Serena watched them for a second. She glared before leaving, mumbling under her breath. Olivia and Elliot watched her go, then stepped back into the apartment and closed the door. Elliot locked it, then pulled her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head a couple times, then pulled back to look at her;

"You okay?"

"Mhm…I'm okay," she stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips, then turned to the kids, who were watching with concerned looks; "It's okay guys, I promise it's okay."

The three older ones – with little Eli still in Kathleen's arms – rushed over and joined in the hug with the two. Olivia sniffled a bit as she realized how much they all loved her, and it only made her feel even more calm and collected as she took a deep breath.

She stood up straight as they all let go, then looked at them all before speaking;

"Guys…I'm moving with you."

They all looked at her in shock, and for a moment, Olivia worried that it was not what they wanted. However, when all the kids started cheering – and little Eli started clapping happily and giggling – and when Elliot pulled her into a warm hug, she knew it was exactly what they wanted.

She stood on her toes and kissed Elliot yet again, and he squeezed her tightly before asking; "What made you change your mind?"

She pulled back, looking up at him and stroking his cheek with her thumb;

"It's time for a new beginning," she moved closer, resting her head against his,

"And it starts with me leaving this apartment behind and moving in with you and the kids – my family."

* * *

 ** _Andddd an update is done! I hope you all enjoyed this. Please, leave some feedback my friends! Until next time...xoxo_**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm here with a new update. It's moving day! Oh...and Kathy has a change of heart...perhaps.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends**

 **Part 25**

"I really can't wait to see Mom's face when we go in and pack up the rest of our things."

Elliot rolled his eyes, chuckling at the fact that his kids were taking joy at pissing off their mother. It was Saturday, the sun was shining, and the temperatures were comfortable – good enough for spring in New York. He and the older children had returned to the former marital home in Queens to pack up the rest of their things to move into the new house. Maureen had joined them as she had a few things from her old room to pack up, and Elliot told her that she could convert the spacious spare room downstairs into her bedroom as nobody planned to use it as a gym anyway.

"Guys, this is gonna be hard for your mother so don't egg it on, please." He lightly scolded them as he pulled into the driveway of the former home. He put his car and park and looked around the car at his older children, who were all looking at him with smirks on their lips.

"Believe me, she won't care," Kathleen scoffed as they stepped out of the car, "I wish Olivia had come with us." She and her siblings grabbed the few totes they had brought with them, enough to pack up all of their things.

"Yeah, she should have come along to help us." Dickie chimed in.

"She and Casey are packing things up from her apartment, and they're watching Eli for us as well, so we can get this done as quickly as possible," Elliot stepped aside so that Kathleen could use her key to unlock the door, "Mind your manners." He gave them all a stern look, to which they all rolled their eyes as they slipped into the house. He took a deep breath, then followed them inside. Kathy emerged from the kitchen, her eyes going wide at the sight of them all. It was clear that she hadn't expected them, and Elliot actually wondered what she had been doing as she was only in a long satin robe.

"Wh-what are you guys doing here?" she asked, eyeing them all.

"Packing our things." Maureen bluntly replied. She gestured for her siblings to follow; the four of them rushed up the stairs with their totes to pack up their rooms. Elliot turned back to Kathy, who sighed.

"Where's Eli?" she asked.

"With Liv and Casey," he smirked; "Casey's helping Olivia pack up her apartment." He smirked, and Kathy's eyes went wide.

"Wh-"

"Kath, I didn't know your kids were coming home."

Elliot looked up, glaring as Paul Samson descended the stairs and immediately walked up to Kathy. Kathy swallowed nervously, and Paul then looked at Elliot, who chuckled bitterly and rolled his eyes.

"Elliot…uh…" he stammered slightly, but Elliot shook his head and grabbed his own totes to drag upstairs.

"I won't be too long, trust me." He replied. He pushed past them all and went upstairs, while Kathy remained downstairs as things truly started to sink in for her.

She had lost her family.

The next couple hours were spent packing up things – Elliot moved through the house and packed all of his clothes and shoes, put his suits in their bags so they wouldn't get wrinkled, packed up the pictures he wanted and packed up all of his awards and decorations that he had from childhood, through his time in the Marines, and even some of the ones he had gotten during his time on the force so far. He packed up another photo album he wanted and packed up all his other toiletries as well. The kids did the same – packing up their comforters and other belongings, including clothes and awards and other things that belonged to them. A few of Elliot's Marine buddies soon arrived and helped to take the children's beds out of the house as well to the moving truck to get it sent over to the new house. Kathleen and Maureen worked together and packed up Eli's room as well while Elliot and one of his buddies got his little toddler bed out of the house as well. The children had made it clear – they had no intention of coming back to this house.

And Kathy watched from the Paul's arms as they sat in the living room area, watching the people move around them as they carried things out of the house that the kids and Elliot wanted. She had a solemn expression on her face. Perhaps what hurt the most is that her kids didn't even seem to care.

She had not only lost Elliot, but she had lost her kids as well.

She had lost them all to the one person she had always secretly been so jealous of – _Olivia._

Elliot had just come downstairs with the last tub of things from Eli's room when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He put the tub onto the ground and checked his phone, and his heart swelled straight away as he read the message and saw the picture;

 _Olivia: 2:47pm – Eli has helped us pack and is now ready to go to the new house lol_

The picture was that of Eli, sitting on the floor surrounded by a few packed boxes. He had a cheesy smile on his face and there was a twinkle in his beautiful blue eyes. Elliot breathed out; life couldn't get any better. The steps towards a new life were happening and though there was still a couple more hurdles to get through – like the finalization of the divorce and the trial with Olivia – he was confident that they would overcome anything that was thrown at them and that they would survive and be okay.

This was _Olivia_ after all – he could get through anything with her.

"Eli looks happy."

He jumped and turned around; Kathy was standing there, a solemn expression on her face and her arms folded. He stuffed his phone back into his pocket and picked up the box as he replied; "He is happy; he's got someone there interacting and playing with him constantly."

Kathy nodded, flicking her eyes to the ground before looking up; "I deserved that."

Elliot grumbled to himself before moving past her to head towards the door.

"I'm sorry Elliot – for everything." He stopped for a second when he heard her voice. Once upon of time, he would have broken down and run back to her, but that wasn't happening anymore. He rolled his eyes, then continued out of the house to load the last tub into the moving truck. The kids came downstairs with their duffle bags and loaded them into the jeep, while Elliot went back inside to give Kathy his house key.

"Well...this is it." He told her as he slid the key off the ring. He put it in her hand, and she sighed while flicking her gaze back up to him.

"I hope you're all happy together, seriously." She spoke. Elliot nodded. He then pulled her into a hug, and he felt her wrap her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. She was shaking a bit, a sign that she was crying, and Elliot squeezed her tighter before pulling away. There were glistening tears in her eyes and at that moment, Elliot saw the old Kathy – the one before the lies and games and jealousy.

They had grown up and they were two different people. They hadn't been happy for a long time but instead of owning up to it, they kept trying to repair something that was so damaged. Kathy knew that it probably wasn't even logical for her to be mad at Olivia either, as despite it all, Olivia had always fought for their marriage more than they did. Kathy was more so mad at the situation as a whole. She had known when she met Olivia Benson all those years ago – when Maureen was a small toddler – that she would always be in competition with her and would ultimately lose to the brunette. She had seen then the way Elliot would look at her, the way his face would light up.

The way he used to look at her all the time.

But Elliot had always been bound by his duties and responsibilities. She was the one who had screwed up and given him the push to completely end this and her actions had caused her kids to ultimately leave as well, so she knew there was no reason for her to be angry or plotting ways to break up such a happy dynamic. Elliot and the kids were taken care of; that's all she wanted.

"Tell the kids I'm sorry for everything as well, and that I'm open to talk whenever they want." She quietly spoke.

"I will do," Elliot replied with a nod; "Take care of yourself, Kath, and I do hope Paul makes you happy. I'm sorry how all this turned out, but maybe…maybe we just weren't meant to last forever."

"We never were meant to last forever," Kathy murmured, before then reaching out and squeezing his arm, "Take care of yourself and the kids, and I hope Olivia makes you all happy. I'm sorry too; for how we turned out, for the stuff with the kids, for hurting you – for everything."

Elliot gave her a small smile, then turned around. He took one last look around and glanced back at the stairs one more time. The house held so many memories. This was the house he raised his family in, the house he came home too after so many long nights. Despite the bad things that had happened, there were still some happy memories – dinners, drawings on the refrigerator, bringing babies home, kids parties – everything.

But it was time for a new start.

He breathed out, then stepped out of the house. He jogged down the walkway and got into his Jeep, and his eldest daughter immediately turned to look at him from her spot in the passenger seat.

"You okay, Daddy?" she asked.

Elliot gave her a smile, a sincere one for the first time in a long time. Finally, he didn't have to lie about how he was feeling.

"I'm great," he started the engine, then looked around at them all; "Come on, let's go home."

 _Home._

With his kids, with _Olivia._

* * *

The remainder of the day was spent sorting out the new house, which the kids loved the minute they stepped in. It was probably ten minutes from their old home, but it already felt like a genuine home due to the positive energy and love radiating throughout. Elliot already had used some money he had saved to pick out some furniture, and the furniture delivery folks had set that up once he finally arrived at the home. Olivia and Casey had met them there with Eli, who immediately ran into his father's arms and happily babbled away about _Livie_ and _Casey_ while Elliot laughed and responded to him in an enthusiastic manner.

The kids got their rooms sorted out straight away, from their furniture to all the décor that had been used in their previous rooms. Elliot worked with one of his friends to get Eli's room sorted out, and Olivia and Casey got the master bedroom fixed up, with Olivia of course taking up a majority of the closet space and smirking while Elliot simply rolled his eyes. Olivia had brought her own pots and pans from her apartment and put them in the kitchen, telling Elliot that they could use them now considering she barely ever used them. The kids sorted out the bathrooms as well, Eli bonded with Casey some more as he helped her put his toys into his toy box once his room was sorted out. The groups worked effortlessly throughout the day, and by nightfall – after a delicious dinner of pizza from a nearby pizza restaurant – they were all exhausted and ready for bed. Elliot's friends left after dinner and Casey soon began to follow suit. Olivia walked her outside to her car, then gave her a huge hug.

"Thank you." She mumbled. Casey squeezed her back and pecked her cheek.

"I told you I would help you with the move and-"

"No, I mean thanks for that too, but that's not what I meant," Olivia pulled back and held onto her arms, "I mean thank you for talking sense into me about…this." She gestured to the house and shrugged adorably. Casey smiled and rubbed her arm.

"How do you feel about it?" she asked.

"You know what…" Olivia took a deep breath, looking back at the house. She thought of the handsome man that was waiting inside for her and the five Stabler children that were waiting as well. She didn't feel scared. She felt at peace, and for once, she didn't have to lie to Casey.

"I feel great – this is… _perfect."_

She turned back to her friend, her eyes glistening with unshed tears; "I have a family Casey."

"And nobody deserves one more than you," Casey hugged her tightly yet again and pecked her cheek, "Call me tomorrow when you guys are headed to yours; I'll meet you there, so we can finish the cleaning."

Olivia nodded and gave her a wave. She watched as Casey got into her car, then waved again as the blonde beeped the horn before driving off. She then breathed out and looked up at the sky; the stars were twinkling brighter than she'd ever seen them – if possible. She felt happy, and she hoped that nothing would come along and ruin it.

Though really, with Elliot, she could get through anything.

She headed back inside and went straight to the living room. She paused in the doorway, smiling at the sight before her.

 _The Parent Trap_ was playing on the television, a movie she had seen with Elliot and the kids a few times over the years whenever she had gone over to the Stabler family home. Maureen was curled up in the arm chair with a blanket over her legs, the twins were sitting on the floor in front of the television with Eli between them, and Kathleen was curled up on one end of the sofa while Elliot was on the other. There was a space beside Elliot – one clearly for her – but she just wanted to take this moment and soak this in. This was her reality now.

A family – she had a _family._

She made her way into the living room and sat herself down beside Elliot, curling up against him straight away as he wrapped an arm around her. She tilted her head up and pressed a kiss to his lips, smiling at him as he smiled back and hugged her into him.

"I love you." He whispered.

Her heart fluttered, and she pressed another kiss to his lips;

"I love you too."

* * *

As darkness loomed over the city and allowed for a blanket of bright stars to twinkle against the backdrop of night, Kathy Stabler – well, soon to be Kathy Martin again as that was her maiden name – was sitting in the back garden of the home. The house felt empty. Sure, Paul was currently inside, sleeping like a log in the bed she used to share with her soon to be ex-husband. Sure, her belongings were still very much in the house and Paul was slowly starting to move some of his own things inside.

Yet the house fell so fucking empty. _She_ felt so fucking empty.

She dropped her head and looked at her hands that were clasp together in her lap. She had lost everything. Her husband and her kids.

She wasn't as upset about Elliot. She knew she had lost Elliot a long time ago. She meant what she told him earlier – they were never meant to last forever. The marriage had been doomed from the jump if she was honest. If she closed her eyes, she could see two seventeen-year olds, both standing at the alter with rings and wedding attire and a three-month small baby bump; something so small that pushed them into this marriage that was doomed. The two teenagers had terrified looks on their faces, but even though they were scared, they were going into unknown territory together and figured that they could figure it all out together.

But she was so wrong. It all began to unravel just a year later, the signs starting to show. She worked days, he worked nights; they alternated shifts to take care of their little Maureen and worked as hard as they could to simply keep the roof over their head on the small apartment in Queens that had been their starter home. She recalled Elliot leaving on deployment for the Marines the first time, when Maureen was six months old, and returning just a week before her first birthday. They struggled and struggled, and with the struggles came the fights. With every deployment came another fight.

But they stayed together. The Catholic in them kept them together. Divorce was considered a sin and was heavily frowned upon, and they figured they'd caused enough disappointment with getting pregnant so young, and so they didn't need to cause anymore.

There was some love in there somewhere; there had to have been, else they wouldn't have gone on to have four more children, especially little Eli who was conceived at such a confusing, rough time. But Kathy also knew deep down that the love was few and far between. They had almost confused themselves, confusing the idea of loving someone with being in love with someone. Elliot never left and never strayed – despite what she always thought – because he was bound by his duties and responsibilities. He would've never done anything to screw up their family; she knew that, and she hated herself for being the one to give into the temptations and screw up everything.

But then again, Elliot would've been fully gone anyway.

She closed her eyes and breathed out. She thought about when Elliot started to drift away, and it all came back to one person – Olivia Benson.

She remembered when she first met Olivia. It was around Independence Day in 1998 when she met her. Maureen was nearly two years old at the time, and they were having a little barbecue at the park. She still remembered the way the heads of both hers and Elliot's family members turned when they saw him arriving at the park with the attractive brunette, and she remembered the intense jealousy she felt. What made matters worse is that no matter how much she tried to hate the girl, she never could actually hate her. Olivia had been so polite on that day, even entertaining Maureen while she and Elliot sorted the food out. She got along with both their families, but what really raised the red flags for Kathy was the look she saw Elliot giving the brunette. It was a look that she hadn't seen from him in a while, and it made her so upset.

She knew then that she would always have to compete with this woman, and the harder she tried to pull Elliot back, the more he was drawn to Olivia. She had figured he would make a move on Olivia when they were separated before, and even practically pushed Olivia into his arms when she tried to talk to the brunette, to have her talk Elliot into signing those divorce papers. Yet Olivia always respected the boundaries and simply tried to talk to them about making it work again. She had been surprised the night Elliot had come to her, surprised they had sex, surprised they had Eli. Things seemed to be alright, but she knew deep down they never would be. She always saw that distant look in his eyes, as if there was somewhere else he'd have rather been. He loved all five of his children with everything in him, but the love between him and Kathy had faded over the years. She knew it, the older kids knew it; everyone knew.

Kathy sighed to herself as her mind continued to swirl; she had tried so hard to hate that brown eyed brunette, to blame her for stealing her husband away. But how could she blame someone who went out of their way to help her out and babysit whenever Elliot had to go away on deployment, or someone who helped babysit whenever she and Elliot were working late and couldn't take the kids to appointments or sports games? How could she hate the woman that had saved her life and Eli's life?

Olivia Benson was never to blame for the demise of this marriage. Kathy knew that half the reason Elliot always came back was because Olivia told him to a lot of the time. Olivia had even called her and tried to talk her into giving Elliot a chance and making up with him. Olivia had always fought to save their marriage when it wasn't worth saving anymore. Kathy struggled to find reasons to hate her and used her anger at the situation as a means to be awful to the woman.

"It was never Olivia's fault," she muttered to herself, swallowing as a couple tears slipped down her cheeks, "We were just never meant to last forever; he's happy with her and I'm…"

She trailed off. She could admit everything else to herself, but she couldn't tell herself that she was happy.

She wasn't fully happy.

She needed to be by herself. Maybe she could sneak away before-

"Kath, what are you doing out here?"

She cringed at the sound of his voice but plastered a smile onto her face and looked over her shoulder; "Just getting some air."

Paul sat down beside her and wrapped both arms around her, kissing her shoulder.

"I know you're upset, it's okay," he kissed the skin of her neck before speaking quietly, in a malicious tone that Kathy hadn't heard before;

"I have connections – I can find Olivia Benson's address and I can tell my brother to pay her a visit; if you want that?"

Kathy pushed him away and stood up. She ran her hand through her hair and whirled around, shaking her head as she glared at him. She swallowed the bile that was threatening to rise in her throat. She hated herself for even making those thinly veiled threats against Olivia, but what she couldn't believe was Paul was really asking her about it, asking her if she wanted him to go after the woman.

"No."

She swallowed, shaking her head;

"Leave them alone, leave _her_ alone; she's a good person and they're all happy."

Paul nodded, giving a small nod as he stood up. He wrapped his arms around her, carefully guiding her back inside.

"It's okay," he shrugged, "I'll just see her in court soon anyway along with those other women, and I'll hopefully get my brother off the hook for this mess."

Kathy remained silent, unable to believe that a man she thought was so lovely was actually representing someone that was so terrible. Paul wasn't at all who she thought he was, and she was starting to despise him already. She needed to get away from him as quickly as possible.

But first, she needed to talk to Olivia.

* * *

 ** _I hope you all enjoyed this update. Leave some feedback and stuff. I love you all! Until next time...xoxo_**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hey guys.**

 **I'm finally here with an update and it's so long omg. We've jumped a few week and it's now May. The case is coming up, Kathy finally talks to Olivia, and Olivia gets a letter that makes her rethink some things. Have a read and find out.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends**

 **Part 26**

The next few weeks passed in a blur. Olivia was fully moved in with Elliot and the kids and had given up the apartment that had been her home for the longest time. Maureen came and went as she spent a lot of time on the Hudson campus, but she loved that Olivia was around every time she came home. Kathleen also loved that the woman she had always been so close to was living with her, allowing the house to feel more like a home as she felt like she had two loving parents around instead of just one that tried his best to do right by them. The twins also loved having her there with them constantly, and Eli loved seeing his _Livie_ all the time. None of the kids had asked much about Kathy anymore – not even little Eli was asking for his _Mommy_. Kathy had reached out and she had had a couple conversations with the older kids and had seen Eli once, but that was as far as anything went.

The divorce had been finalized about a week after moving into the new house, and Kathy didn't even fight about the kids. She gave full custody of the remaining kids over to Elliot but didn't agree to visitation right away as she said she needed to work out new living arrangements as she was moving out of the family home. Nobody had any idea what that meant, but the children really didn't care as they were with the two people they wanted to be with, and they were happy and healthy. Kathy hadn't had a chance to talk to Olivia yet as their work schedules were clashing – usually she was leaving when Olivia was coming in, or she was scheduled on days that Olivia was not and vice versa, but she knew she needed to have a word with her soon just to smooth things over with her.

Elliot had also used the lump some of money he had in a trust fund that had been left some years back by his grandfather to pay off a few bills, and to buy a car for Kathleen so that she would be able to have a little more freedom, though he made her promise to be responsible with it. He had even gone as far as to surprise Olivia with a car as well; he picked her up from work one night in a new, shiny grey _Honda Accord_ and threw the keys at her once she came outside. She had actually cried when he explained and given him a lighthearted threat about killing him for spending money on her, but she was truly grateful for it as it did make things easier considering she still worked in the heart of Manhattan.

Olivia too was settling into life with her new _family._ She loved being there for the kids and taking on that motherly role, especially since it seemed that Kathy wasn't trying much to be there for them. She loved being on hand to give them advice and spend time with them. She took Eli to daycare on the days she didn't have to work and slowly became involved in everything he was working on at daycare. She was slowly becoming involved in the kid's activities with school. On days she wasn't working, she made their dinner and helped them with homework if they needed it. Something about this new life felt very domestic, yet she loved it. She wasn't even scared. She felt like this was where she belonged.

May had just rolled around and now, there was one final thing looming over the happy bubble that Elliot and Olivia were trying to remain in. The court case with Mark Weber was coming in – in three days time to be exact on the Thursday – and Olivia was nervous. She had, had a few meetings with the Assistant District Attorney, and had even had a mock examination in the witness stand to help her feel a little more prepared. Elliot promised to be there every step of the way, and this made her feel a little more at ease.

Today was Monday, and the case being so close was something that was playing on her mind. However, today was her final day of work before she got an actual five days off, so she was throwing herself into the twelve-hour shift – which she was only three hours into – and focusing on the fact that no matter what, things were actually looking up. She did feel a little better though, especially since Mark was back in jail after violating a protective order that had been put in place to keep him away from his ex-wife. He would be in jail for that anyway, but at least now he was locked up until the trial.

Olivia had just finished checking on a patient and had only just sat down when the phone started to ring. Sighing to herself, she picked it up and put it to her ear;

"Mercy General Emergency, this is Olivia Benson."

 _"Olivia, please don't hang up."_

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. Yet another person that didn't seem to take hints well – her mother. The woman had been back in New York for weeks now for reasons that Olivia knew nothing about, and she was still trying to have conversations with her even though Olivia had no interest in doing so.

"I'm at work," she hissed, keeping her voice low; "Please, just leave me alone."

 _"Not until we talk,"_ Serena spoke quickly; _"Please, meet me for coffee or something?"_

Olivia rolled her eyes; "No…now stop calling me."

Serena was still talking when Olivia slammed the phone down. Casey looked up with a raised eyebrow; "A little aggressive with the phone there, aren't you?"

"If my mother would stop calling me, I wouldn't be so aggressive," Olivia breathed out, rubbing her temples, "She's pissing me off. Do you know she actually got my forwarding address from my landlord and showed up at our house a few times wanting to talk? Elliot really did almost arrest her this latest time."

"Listen, you've never told me the history there and the fact that you won't talk about it says it all, but maybe you should at least hear what she has to say," Casey suggested with a shrug, "Put it this way – you can hear her out and then tell her to leave you alone, and she'll do it since she's spoken to you."

"I don't know if I'm ready for all that," Olivia replied as she focused her attention on her friend, "There just…there's a lot of hurt there, Case, and I don't know if I want to deal with it."

"I can understand that; whatever it is, it has to be bad for you to not even talk much about it," Casey gave her a sympathetic smile, "Whatever you decide to do, I'll be here for you, encouraging you to make stupid decisions."

Olivia let out a laugh, leaning her elbows on the desk; "Thanks Casey, you really are-"

"Olivia."

Olivia looked up at the sound of her name and her eyes narrowed in suspicion straight away. Kathy was standing there, and Olivia was confused as to why she was even around considering today was her day off. Casey too was watching them and was prepared to jump in and defend her friend if necessary.

"Hi Kathy," Olivia spoke up, looking the woman up and down, "Can I help you?"

"Can we um…talk?" Kathy quietly asked. She seemed a little nervous, and Olivia wondered what this could possibly be about. Curiosity of course got the best of her and she nodded. She told Casey to watch her patients for her, then she and Kathy went into the break room.

"Okay," Olivia perched herself on the edge of the table, folding her arms across her chest; "Talk."

"First of all, I really am sorry for everything I put you through; it wasn't fair and instead of me just owning up and realizing I failed at this marriage, I chose to blame you for everything, even for my mistakes and that wasn't fair, especially since all you ever did was try to fight for my marriage, probably more than me and Elliot did…."

She then paused for a second, before continuing,

"My…ex-boyfriend now, Paul; the guy I cheated on Elliot with," Kathy had a worried look on her face, and that concerned Olivia; "He's the lawyer of that guy who assaulted you, and the brother."

Olivia's eyes went wide. Things were coming together in her head; Kathy's threat, Kathy talking to her boyfriend about making her pay for what happened. She looked at the woman before her;

"Did you send that prick to the club to rape me?"

"No, I swear to God I did not; I didn't even know they were related until after Paul and I got together and he told me he was representing him, and by then I was so angry…" she trailed off, and took a moment to compose herself before she then looked back up at Olivia again; "Olivia, I am so sorry for everything. I know Mark is in jail now, so he can't hurt you, but I just wanted you to know how sorry I am for ever even thinking about having someone hurt you."

Olivia's rolled her eyes and stood up from the table; "You apologized, now go."

Kathy nodded, sighing to herself. She turned to leave the room, but then looked back; "Thank you…for taking care of my kids. You always have loved them like they're your own, and you're pretty much their mother now."

Olivia's expression softened slightly; "You are their mother, Kathy; they still love you…they just need to build with you again and move on from the things that have happened, and I think that would start with you seeing them and talking to them…your visitation thing."

"Mmm…I guess you are right," Kathy sighed, shrugging; "Um…still though, thanks for taking care of them….and Elliot." She paused, and Olivia could see the tears in her eyes;

"You've always given him stability; just please, don't hurt him. He never deserved it, he never deserved _me_ ," her voice cracked slightly, and a couple tears slipped down her cheeks; "He's always deserved better, and you are better for him – always have been."

Olivia swallowed, unable to find the words to say. The woman whom she had regarded as a cold-hearted bitch had really just started crying in her presence and seemed so defeated and broken. Part of her wanted to reach out and hug her, but she simply couldn't move. She suddenly was a little worried. Kathy was clearly broken and needed someone to talk to, because she had essentially lost everything even though it was halfway gone when things happened.

"Kathy, I promise I'll take care of him and won't hurt him, or your kids," she spoke softly as she took a step closer; "But…take care of yourself too, for your kids especially; maybe talk to someone. I have a great therapist that I've been seeing off and on since I first moved here if you want his number."

"I'm fine, don't worry," Kathy held up a hand then squeezed Olivia's arm, "See you later, Olivia."

With that, she then turned and walked out of the room, leaving Olivia to stand there to try and process everything that had just happened. No matter what had happened between her and Kathy, seeing the woman look so defeated was something that concerned her greatly. She just hoped that she would be alright, as nobody deserved to be as defeated as she so clearly was right now.

She took a deep breath and composed herself, then made her way out of the room. She went back to the desk and immediately held her hand up to Casey, signaling that they would talk about it later. For right now, she just wanted to get through the rest of this day, so she could get home to her family.

 _Her family._

* * *

The day passed quickly, and before long, Olivia finally found herself free of work for a few days. The day had gone smoothly, though she had still been concerned about Kathy and hoped that the woman would be alright. She had seen Elliot during the afternoon when he and Amanda had come to the hospital to interview a victim but didn't get a chance to talk to him about the visit with Kathy as they'd only had time to say hi and share a hug and quick kiss as she'd walked him out.

She had text him as she was walking outside, and he responded by telling her that he was still at work and would be for quite a while as they were working a pretty intense case, so she decided to drop him off some dinner. She stopped by their diner and grabbed his favorite sandwich and a bag of chips, before then heading towards the precinct. She parked along the curb and grabbed the bag, before getting out and heading inside. The guard at the desk recognized her and simply waved as she passed, then she took the elevator up to the floor where the Special Victims Unit was located.

The elevator doors pinged open and she made her way towards the entrance of the squad room. She rounded the corner and crossed the threshold, smiling when she spotted Elliot and Fin standing at the monitor, going over notes about the case while Munch was flicking through a file with Amanda. Captain Cragen came from his office and spotted Olivia, leading him to smile as he walked towards her.

"Hey Olivia, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Hi Captain Cragen," she greeted, giving him a warm smile, "Just came to bring Elliot some dinner." She gestured to the bag and Cragen nodded, patting her shoulder.

"He'll appreciate it," he chuckled before looking towards where Elliot was, "Elliot, take five!"

"Cap, I don't have t-" Elliot whirled around but stopped when he spotted Olivia. His lips curled into a smile and he rushed towards her, wrapping an arm around her; "Hey baby." He pressed a kiss to her lips, his eyes sparkling as he watched her. Cragen patted his shoulder and told him to take a few minutes. Elliot nodded and led Olivia to the cribs just to have some moments alone with her.

"I brought you dinner," she handed the bag over to him, "You okay?" she turned slightly, rubbing her hand over the back of his head and over his shoulder and back.

"I'd be great if I could just come home, but this prick seems to be moving fast and we need to find him," Elliot sighed, rubbing his hand down his face; "Two victims, one eleven – the one you saw earlier – and our latest one is twelve, only she didn't get away," he kept his eyes on the ground as he spoke, "Our ME says she was only dead for about two hours when she was found."

He then looked up at her, and it was then that Olivia saw the moisture that had gathered in his eyes; "How can people do things to kids, Liv? I don't get it."

"I don't get it either, they're the absolute scum of the Earth," she leaned her head on his shoulder, keeping an arm around him, "But there's superheroes like you, out there taking these pricks off the streets."

"I try my best," he turned enough to kiss her forehead, "You have a good day at work?"

"Yeah it was good, it ran smoothly," she sighed, "Kathy though – it's weird…she came in to talk to me, and we talked and-"

"She didn't upset you or anything did she?" Elliot immediately asked, a look of concern flashing across his features.

"No…not at all," Olivia rubbed his back gently, "She knows that her lawyer ex-boyfriend or whatever is the brother of that Mark prick, and she apologized for even thinking about getting someone to hurt me, and she apologized for everything else and told me to take care of you and the kids. She just looked so…defeated…and I felt bad for her."

Elliot was silent for a few moments before he spoke again; "She actually apologized…and meant it?"

"I know, I'm having a hard time processing it too," Olivia laughed a bit, "But no…she did apologize, and she meant it, I could tell. It's just, she looked really defeated and I'm just kind of worried about her."

Elliot had a look of disbelief on his face. Only Olivia Benson would feel bad for and worry about the woman who had pretty much been giving her hell for years; typical.

"I think it's a ploy to try and get some sympathy, so I wouldn't worry too much about it," he pointed out, "Look baby, don't worry yourself silly about this. If it'll make you feel better though, after your case, we can sit down and talk to her to smooth things over?"

"That would make me feel better because I think she's actually having a really hard time," Olivia leaned into him a bit and let out a laugh, "Only I would worry about the bitch that's given me more trouble over the years, especially in these last couple months – what is wrong with me?"

"Your heart is too damn big, but that's a good thing too – shows the type of person you are." He replied. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and was just about to settle on her lips when Amanda burst into the room;

"Elliot, we got another victim."

And just like that, his shoulders slumped. He looked at Olivia and shook his head in despair, and Olivia leaned up a bit to kiss his lips.

"Go get justice for these victims," she told him, stroking his cheek, "I'll see you when you come home."

"I'll try and be home soon, I mean it," they stood up together and he pulled her close, "I love you, kiss the kids for me."

"I love you too, and I will," she kissed him once again, holding onto the side of his face, "Be safe out there."

"I will and let me know when you get home." He told her. He kissed her once again before running off to join the others, while Olivia fished her keys from her pocket and headed out. Once outside, she got into her car and pulled away from the curb, heading towards the family home she shared with her little family.

* * *

" _Goodnight stars, goodnight air; and goodnight noises everywhere_ …the end."

Olivia looked down to the side of her; the toddler was fast asleep, cuddling his stuffed teddy bear. Olivia smiled and carefully shuffled off of the toddler bed, before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his blonde curls.

"Goodnight Eli; I love you, my sweet boy." she whispered. She tucked him in properly and kissed his head again, before flicking the switch for the nightlight. She then quietly crept out of the room and closed the door halfway, before moving through the house to check on the rest of the kids. Kathleen was sitting at her desk with her earbuds on her ears as she worked on a report for her AP class; she simply gave Olivia a wave to which Olivia laughed and waved back. She then checked on Lizzie, who had just crawled into bed. She kissed her cheek and told her goodnight before leaving the room to check on Dickie. Dickie was already in bed and had switched off his main light, the only glow now being from his television. She quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him goodnight, before leaving the room as well. She went downstairs and went straight into the kitchen where Maureen was washing the dishes from their dinner.

"You didn't have to do that sweetie, I would have done it…or used the dishwasher." She spoke up, capturing the young woman's attention. She laughed as she finished the last of the dishes before she then turned the water off.

"You're just like Dad," Maureen laughed away to herself as she dried her hands on a dishtowel, "He used to say he would do the dishes, which meant he was loading them into the dishwasher."

"Hey, it's there for a reason," Olivia shrugged as she reached into the refrigerator for a bottle of water, "Hey Mo…have you talked to your mother?"

"I talked to her earlier, we're gonna meet for lunch tomorrow to talk," Maureen shrugged as she perched herself on one of the stools at the island counter; "Honestly I've been avoiding her, but I think I do need to talk to her. I love my mom, I really do, but it's just…she's not the same person she was when I was growing up. I don't know what happened, but I don't like it." She took a sip of her juice, "Why do you ask?"

"She came to me earlier when I was working, and we talked; she just seems really defeated about things and it bugged me a little bit." Olivia explained as she sat beside the young woman. Maureen smirked, nudging her.

"Only Olivia Benson would worry about someone who gave her so much hell."

"Now you sound like your father," Olivia rolled her eyes and nudged her back, "Seriously, I'm glad you're talking to her, and maybe you can convince your brother and sisters to do the same."

"Lizzie and Dickwad I'm sure I can convince, but Katie…" Maureen shook her head, rolling her eyes; "That girl has Dad's stubbornness and temper; Mom would have to be on a death bed for Katie to even consider talking to her."

Olivia let out a laugh as she shot Maureen a funny look; "Kathleen is not that bad."

Maureen gave her a knowing look; "Kathleen is definitely _that_ bad."

Olivia laughed even more, shaking her head in despair as she sipped some water.

A short while later, the pair were on the sofa together, watching the nightly news and chatting away; Maureen was telling Olivia about the classes she had picked up for the fall semester of college that would be starting in August. Olivia was in the middle of asking her something when the doorbell suddenly went, causing the two to exchange a glance. It was just past eleven, so she was wondering who the hell was showing up on her doorstep at this hour.

She made her way to the door and didn't see anyone, which confused her. She opened the door a bit and looked around; she still didn't see anyone, and the neighborhood seemed quiet. She was just about to close the door when she noticed a folded piece of paper stuck on their glass storm door. She opened the door enough to grab the paper, before then closing all the doors again. She locked the large front door, before making her way back to the living room as she unfolded the paper.

"What's that?" Maureen asked. Olivia looked down at the paper, sighing straight away;

"My mother trying to reach out." She folded the paper back and tossed it onto the table before plonking herself back down onto the sofa. Maureen reached forward and grabbed the paper as curiosity took the best of her.

"How come you don't want to talk to her?" she curiously asked.

"Mo, me and my mom had a very complicated relationship clean up until I moved here," Olivia looked over at her, "I mean, I only just told your Dad everything about it some weeks ago, and I've known him for so long; that's how bad it is."

Maureen's eyes went wide; "Whoa, that's insane; so how long has it been since you talked to her?"

"Twenty years."

"Twenty whole years?"

Olivia nodded, shrugging her shoulders; "Maureen, trust me, it was for good reason. She's been back in New York for a while now and has been trying to reach out, but I don't know if I'm ready for all that."

Maureen glanced down at the folded paper before looking back up at her again; "Is it okay if I read it then?"

"Be my guest." Olivia nonchalantly replied as she focused her attention back on the television. Maureen nodded her head before unfolding the paper, focusing her attention onto the words written in swirly handwriting and black ink.

A few moments later, she looked up again and looked at Olivia straight away. Olivia felt her staring and looked up from her phone, raising an eyebrow; "What's wrong honey?"

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do," Maureen immediately started; "Look…just like I need to talk to my mother, I think you need to talk to yours too."

"Mo-"

Olivia, just hear her out, please," Maureen slid the letter into the older woman's hand, "I think it'll help you have some closure."

She then leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek before standing up; "I'm going to bed because I told the coffee shop I would start working again tomorrow and I'm starting at seven, so goodnight and I love you."

Olivia nodded, giving her a small smile; "Goodnight honey, I love you too."

Maureen smiled before heading off to her bedroom that was off the side of the living room. The door closed behind her, leaving Olivia with her thoughts. It was quiet as they had all settled down for the evening and Elliot was still at work, which meant she was alone with the thoughts that plagued her on the nights where it was too quiet, and her brain was too loud.

Maureen was right – talking to her mother would probably give her some sort of closure. She had spent twenty years running from the scars of her past. When she came to New York at age sixteen, she swore then that she would never speak to her mother ever again. In the later years, every birthday card and every letter went ignored with their half assed apologies and well wishes went ignored; they ended up in the trash all the time. When she got older, she confided in her Aunt and told her the real reason why she left California, and the woman damn near wanted to press charges against Serena Benson and every son of a bitch that had ever laid a finger on Olivia. Olivia told her not to and told her to just let it go because that's what she had been doing, focusing on letting go of the baggage she'd carried for so long. She thought she had let it go; she prayed to whatever higher being for some piece of mind and had a long talk with herself over the years, telling herself that she would survive and thrive from what happened to her.

But her mother being in the area again seemed like the wounds had been opened again. She thought about the hell she suffered at the hands of this woman and it made her feel like that scared teenager again. But she didn't want to feel that way. She wanted to conquer this obstacle. She knew she had to do this anyway, despite the fear she felt. She needed closure before she could move on with her life and give absolutely one-hundred percent of herself over to Elliot and the kids. There was just this tiny piece she had to get back, and she knew exactly what needed to happen first.

She took a deep breath, then unfolded the piece of paper. She swallowed the nerves that had gathered inside of her and looked at the paper, her eyes dancing over the swirly letters written in black ink as she read;

 _Dear Olivia,_

 _I know I've tried to reach out to you a lot; I have been invading your space in so many ways when I have no right to do so. I have just done so many things wrong and I am desperate to make things right. You are my only child and the fact that we have been estranged for so long is breaking me. It has been breaking me for so long and I just pray that we can make amends before time gets away from us. I am clean and sober and have been for some time now, and I am so sorry that it has taken so long for me to get my life together._

 _You never deserved the things that happened. You didn't deserve to be traded and used and abused constantly. You didn't deserve to have me as a mother. I will never forget that moment when I came to and realized that you were gone, the pain that ripped through me as I realized I had lost you. But you were better off; you were always better off without me. I thank Marsha for raising you into the woman that you were destined to be – the one with the good heart that dedicates her life to helping others. I couldn't do it, and you deserved only the best._

 _I am reaching out and desperate to make amends because I do not know how much time I have left. The day you saw me in the hospital was due to my illness – liver cancer. I have been battling this for some time and recently, the doctors have expressed that there is not much left to be done. It has spread, and I have opted not to continue any treatments as they are not doing anything. I want to enjoy whatever time I have left on this earth. But, the enjoyment begins with making amends with you my sweet girl. So please, if it is in your heart, I hope that you will call me and meet with me for a meal or a coffee; whatever it is, I will be grateful._

 _I am so sorry for the pain I caused you. I want you to know that I am proud of you – you have grown into an amazing woman. I will be hoping for your call, and I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me for everything that has happened._

 _No matter what, I love you Olive._

 _-Serena_

A tear dripped onto the page, smudging the letters of the woman's name. Olivia didn't even realize she was crying at first, but now she just felt the tears constantly pouring. She sniffled and wiped her tears away and looked further down the page, where Serena had put her contact information such as her address and phone number. Olivia swallowed the lump in her throat before picking up her own phone. She put the number into her contacts and saved it, making a mental note to give the woman a call tomorrow. She didn't know how she would feel when she sat face to face or when they would talk, but she did want to at least give her a chance.

Closure…this was going to be closure.

* * *

 ** _Andddd another update completed. What do you guys think - is Kathy sincere with her apology or is Olivia being too quick to believe her? What about Serena - should Olivia meet up with her? Ahhhh so many questions. Let me know what y'all think. Until next time xoxo_**


	27. Chapter 27

**BHey everyone!**

 **I'm here with a new update! Elliot's home and Olivia tells him about her mother, and the Stabler kids go to see Kathy. Also...Olivia overhears an emotional conversation between Elliot and his children.**

 **Enjoy guys xoxo**

* * *

 **Just** ** Friends**

 **Part 27**

The next morning, Olivia had pushed the night events to the back of her mind and was up early to get the kids breakfast before they headed to school and daycare, minus Maureen obviously as she had left for work around six-thirty. After their breakfast, Kathleen gathered the twins into her car as they all went to the same preparatory school while Olivia took Eli to daycare. After she dropped him off, she stopped at the small grocery store not far from the house to gather up some ingredients to make her lasagna – a promise to Dickie as he was desperate for his favorite dish from her – before she then headed back home. She parked in the garage and made her way inside and straight to the kitchen, only to get a fright when she heard a noise in the lounge. She put her bags on the counter before poking her head into the lounge, only to find Elliot sitting on the sofa.

"Hey you; I didn't even know you were coming home right now," she spoke as she walked over to him; "Is the case-" She stopped when she saw him with the letter in his hand and a nervous feeling creeped over her. "She came by last night and stuck it on the door."

"Are you gonna meet up with her?" he quietly asked, gently pulling her to sit on his lap. She draped her arm around him, stroking his head as he leaned it on her shoulder.

"I was gonna call her today, maybe meet up on Friday because I want to get this court case out of the way first," She replied, "You think it's a good idea?"

"I think it's great, it might help you get some closure," he nodded against her shoulder, "Put it this way…take the chance to get closure while you still can, and even if nothing comes from it, at least you tried, and you can move on."

Olivia nodded, turning her head a bit to kiss his forehead; "I love you."

"I love you too, baby," he tilted his head up and kissed her cheek; "I'm just so glad to be home, I'm exhausted."

"What time did you get home?" she wondered, rubbing his shoulders as she held onto him.

"Probably about twenty minutes ago; we arrested the prick around six this morning and by seven-thirty, he was confessing; Cragen told us we could go home, and we've got a couple days off, but I took the rest of the week." He explained. Olivia looked at him with a raised eyebrow and he simply shrugged; "I have a lot of time saved up and I want to be with you, especially after the trial on Thursday."

"You'll be with me on the day, baby." She reminded him.

"I know, but I also know how draining these things can be, so I want to be with you the day after as well," he paused to kiss her cheek, "And if you want, I'll even go with you to meet Serena on Friday."

"Holy shit…how did you know I wanted someone to go with me? I was gonna call Casey or something." She whined as she hugged him. He let out a laugh, hugging her back and kissing her cheek.

"I know you too well, baby; so if you want me to go with you, I will." He murmured, clinging to her.

"I need the support, so please do," she kissed his cheek before standing up, "Okay, you go to bed and get some sleep, I'll take care of the house."

"Olivia Benson being a domestic goddess? Never thought I'd see the day," he stood up, groaning when he received a powerful punch in the arm; "No need to be violent." He smirked.

"I can kick your ass Stabler, don't you ever forget that." She remarked as she headed towards the kitchen. He simply laughed and shouted back; "I know that!" before heading upstairs, leaving Olivia in the kitchen, laughing to herself as her heart fluttered. She was happy. She was so fucking happy.

And with her blue-eyed anchor keeping her together, she knew she could get through anything – including this court case, and the visit with her mother.

* * *

Elliot slept for most of the day while Olivia pottered around the house, seemingly slipping into her little domestic goddess role as she took care of the house. She cleaned the kitchen and tidied up the lounge, gathered up the laundry and did that, and even took the time to organize the bookshelf in the lounge with her books that she finally unpacked from the box that had been sitting there for a while. She also prepared her lasagna and popped it into the oven just before she left to pick the kids up from school as she wanted it to be ready at least by dinner time.

They had a great family dinner later in the evening. The lasagna and garlic bread and salad all went down well with the Elliot and the children – including little Eli who thought the meal was absolutely delicious even though he got most of the sauce over his mouth and hands. After dinner, Maureen gathered up her siblings and explained that they were all going over to the former family home to see their mother. Eli was excited at the thought of seeing his mother, but the other three…well…

"Why?" Dickie wondered with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't want to go see her, Mo-Mo." Lizzie chimed in, folding her arms across her chest.

"She doesn't give a d… _crap…_ about us, Maur; why are we going to see her?" Kathleen replied with a roll of her eyes.

Maureen looked over at Elliot and Olivia for help; Olivia glanced over at Elliot, who simply dragged his hands down his face and looked at his children.

"Guys, just…you need to hear your mother out," he gave the older ones a stern look as he spoke; "She talked to Liv and apologized to her, and it seems that she wants to make amends with you guys as well. Just hear her out."

"Dad!"

"Guys, your father has a point," Olivia spoke up as she pulled Eli against her for a hug, "She seems to have gotten a reality check, so at least hear what she has to say and if it doesn't work or nothing comes from it, then at least your tried."

The children all groaned and rolled their eyes before heading off upstairs to get their shoes and jackets. Maureen laughed to herself and rubbed her hand down her face, while Elliot and Olivia laughed a bit. Olivia was helping Eli into his jacket as the little boy turned to her;

"Livie go too?" he wondered, his bright blue eyes shining as he looked up at her. She pressed a kiss to his forehead as he adjusted his jacket over his shoulders.

"No baby, I'm gonna say here but you'll be with Mo-Mo and Katie and Lizzie and Dickie, and I'll see you when you come back from your adventure." she pulled an animated face before pulling him into her lap. She helped him into his shoes, then kissed his cheek; "I love you sweet boy."

"Love you Livie!" Eli burst out. He was starting to talk more as the months rolled on and was saying everything he could think of, something that made everyone proud. His most recent thing was _love you,_ which was something he always said to them at the house, especially Olivia as she was one of his favorite people in the world.

The little boy ran over to Maureen, who scooped him up onto her hip as the others came downstairs. They shouted their goodbyes before leaving out, finally leaving Elliot and Olivia alone in the house. The couple exchanged a glance and let out a laugh, both of them only wondering how the visit between the hotheaded Stablers and their mother would go.

"Maybe Kathleen won't go bat shit crazy on her," Olivia stood up; "Want a beer?"

"Please." Elliot replied. Olivia nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, only to return some moments later with two bottles of beer. She handed one over to him, then plonked herself down beside him while he grabbed the remote. She snuggled into his side while he turned to a random movie, one that neither of them was probably going to watch as it looked to be quite cheesy. They both sipped their beer as they relaxed together; Elliot had his strong arm wrapped tightly around her and was stroking her waist whilst kissing her forehead every now and then.

* * *

A short while later, the two had finished their beers and were now laying together on the couch; she was laying on her back and he was laying between her and the back of the sofa, half over her as his arm was across her. They had been making out for a little bit so far, and the kiss was growing more and more heated by the second.

But even though Olivia felt perfectly safe with Elliot, she just wasn't quite ready.

"Babe," she breathed, pressing her hand to his chest; "Wait…stop."

Elliot pulled away, stroking his hand against her waist as he looked at her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead while moving his other arm around her, cradling her against him as he smiled.

"Sorry baby, I don't mean to get carried away," he kissed her forehead once more, "You know I would never force you or anything right?"

"I know honey, and I appreciate that so much," she stroked her finger down his nose before tilting her head to the side; "It doesn't bother you does it? I'm just…I'm not quite ready to…you know…" she trailed off, blushing slightly as she gazed up at him. Elliot chuckled, shaking his head as he gazed into the beautiful brown eyes that he loved so much.

"Of course it doesn't bother me, baby; that's okay," he stroked her cheek, "I waited too long to get you and I will wait forever for you to be ready, because I love _you_ Olivia."

Olivia's eyes glossed over with tears and she swallowed. Never had she had a lover that was so comfortable with waiting when it came to sex, especially with being together as long as she an Elliot had been. They'd been together roughly six weeks or so and usually Olivia would have had no problem sleeping with her lover at this time. However, with everything that had been going on, she wasn't quite ready yet. The fact that Elliot was so understanding was something that made her fall in love with him even more.

She knew she was with the right person.

"Thank you…just thank you." She whimpered, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. He chuckled and kissed the skin of her shoulder, murmuring; "I love you."

"I love you too, El."

"We're back!"

The couple sprang apart and sat up as they heard Maureen's voice filter through the house. They both looked up; the children came back in, and little Eli was in Kathleen's arms, half asleep on her shoulder. Elliot and Olivia eyed them as they sat in various spots; Maureen and Kathleen in the comfy, spacious arm chair while Lizzie and Dickie sat on the smaller sofa, sprawling out at different ends. The couple watched them all, trying to get a read on them to get an idea of how the meeting with their mother went

They all looked like they were pissed off and sad all at once.

"So…" Elliot sighed, tilting his head to the side; "How did it go?"

"I mean, she apologized for everything and said that she was sorry for hurting us all, because we're the ones who were hurt the most out of this," Kathleen shrugged before glancing down at her baby brother who had woken up a little more to look around, "But she doesn't care enough about us, so whatever." She helped him out of his jacket and his shoes, then put him onto the ground. He tottered over to Olivia and climbed into her lap before resting against her again. She laughed and stood up, telling them all that she would be back after she put the very tired Eli down to bed. She slipped out of the room, while Elliot looked back at his kids again.

"Guys, your mother is just having a hard-"

"She's moving to Boston."

Elliot froze at Lizzie's outburst, his eyes going wide as they looked at her. He then looked to the other kids, who all rolled their eyes and nodded, with Dickie chiming in; "She told us as soon as the house sells, she's leaving. Grandma and Grandpa have an apartment up there that they aren't using, so she's gonna move there."

"But…what about…" Elliot paused for a second, trying to formulate the words; "What about you guys?"

"She said and I quote; _'You have your Dad and Olivia, they're giving you more than I ever could and I have to do this for me'…_ " Maureen rolled her eyes as she stood up; "Look, I'm twenty-one-years old so I really don't care, but I'm more worried about these guys…" She gestured to her younger siblings, "Katie is still a teenager that needs her mother, the twins are twelve and need their mother, and God knows the squirt needs his mother, I mean he's only two and a half; so how the fuck can she just leave and go about whatever, saying she needs to do something for herself? Did she even think about her damn kids?!"

"Maureen, language!" Elliot gave her a stern look. She held up her hands and took a deep breath as she perched herself on the arm of the armchair.

"I'm sorry Dad, but I'm just…I'm pissed off," she took another deep breath, shaking her head; "How can she just do that? How can a mother leave her kids?"

"Olivia wouldn't ever leave us if she was our mother," Kathleen sighed, "She's not even our mother and she doesn't plan on leaving us at all, that speaks volumes."

"That's because she actually cares about us and Dad…she actually loves us," Lizzie remarked, "She always has."

"Guys," Elliot sighed, rubbing his hand over his head; "Look, your mother…she loves you guys and cares about you-"

"Then why is she abandoning us, Dad?" Kathleen sniffled a bit as a couple tears slipped down her cheeks, "Why is she just uprooting and leaving like we don't exist?"

Elliot swallowed the lump in his throat. He made his way over her and sat with her, pulling her into a tight hug as he whispered into her hair; "I don't know honey, I really don't have an answer."

"Daddy, I told you years ago that I wished Olivia was my mother and you thought it was because I was on some stupid teenage rebellion shit against _Kathy,_ " Maureen spoke with a bitter chuckle; "Now you see; it's because even then, I saw that _Kathy_ didn't give a damn about us."

"Mo don't say that." Elliot told her.

"She's not lying, Dad; she didn't seem to care at all when she was telling us that she was moving." Lizzie remarked as she and Dickie stood up.

"And look at how Liv just let us move in with her, then moved right in with us and how she's been taking care of us," Dickie chimed in, folding his arms across his chest; "I love Mom, I really do, but when's the last time she did half the things Liv does with us – like help us with homework or get involved in the things we do at school? Mom hasn't done any of that for ages; it's always been you after you've worked all day, or Liv if she can get off work."

"Listen Dad, the way I see it, we should have all just left after the squirt was born; saved us all some trouble." Kathleen muttered, calming down slightly from her crying.

"I couldn't just leave like that without her claiming _abandonment_ , and besides, me and your mother were on a good page after Eli was born." Elliot pointed out.

"For how long though, Dad?" Maureen challenged; "How long after him being born did it take for her to once again stop paying us any attention? How long did it take for _me_ to have to take over and look after Eli and Katie and the twins because she purposely started picking up extra shifts at the hospital even when she knew you were working like crazy? How long did it take for her to start fighting with you and blaming Liv at every turn? How long did it take for her to once again stop being a mother?"

Elliot was stunned at Maureen's outburst. He never had any idea that she felt all of this towards her mother because she had never given any indication. However, it was clear that now, all of this had bottled up and tonight just happened to send it over the edge.

"Maureen…I-"

"I'm not trying to blame you or anything like that, but it's just like, you could've taken us and left her and she would've been a fucking free spirit or whatever she wants to be," Maureen replied with a roll of her eyes; "The way I see it Dad, you wanted to be a parent more than she did, especially over these last few years."

She then stood up, tilting her head as she looked at him; "Tell the truth Dad and tell it now; if it wasn't for me, would you have stayed with Mom for this long?"

Elliot paused and looked around at his kids. They were all looking at him, even Kathleen, waiting for him to answer the question.

He rubbed his hand over his jaw and sighed; "To be honest, no…I would have broken up with her before I graduated from high school," he shrugged, "If I could go back and do it all again, Olivia would be the mother of all of you."

"I thought so; I've thought that since I was about twelve and figured out that you were in love with Olivia," Maureen replied as she perched herself on the coffee table; "I just…she's always been more of a mother. She's the one who has always told us how proud she is of us, she's the one who came to my cheerleading competitions and Katie's soccer games and Lizzie's science fairs and Dickie's little league games; all of that. Mom never cared."

"Dad…Olivia can still be our Mom, can't she?" Dickie wondered.

"If you marry her, we mean." Lizzie clarified.

Elliot's eyes went wide, and his eyes darted between the two pairs of blues and two pairs of browns that were staring back at him; "Guys, Liv and I have only been together for like six weeks; I don't think we're at that stage."

"You've known each other for twenty years and been in love with each other for at least ten." Kathleen pointed out.

Elliot rolled his eyes, wondering when the hell his children had gotten so much like him with needing to have the last word. "Guys look, if it was up to me, I would marry Liv in a heartbeat because I do love her, and I've loved her for a long time, but I won't rush her into that if she isn't ready."

"Well when you do decide to pop the question, we already approve because we love her – she's already like a stepmother to us." Lizzie remarked, smiling widely.

"The squirt obviously loves her too," Kathleen giggled a bit as she leaned against her father; "The whole time we were with Mom, he kept tugging on Maureen's jacket and asking to see _Livie_."

Elliot chuckled, looking around at his children; "I'm glad you guys approve then; it'll happen one day, I promise," he held his arms out, "Come on, gather in for a hug."

The other three children piled onto their father as well, joining Kathleen as their father hugged them all. He squeezed them all before speaking again; "I love you guys, and I'm sorry about this mess with your mother, but no more sadness…if Boston will make her happy then I guess that's just something we'll have to deal with as a family, but you guys are here with me and Liv, and we will make you all happy. It's time for us all to be happy."

"We already are happy, we're happiest here with you guys anyway." Kathleen muttered.

"Yeah, you guys are awesome." Lizzie chimed in. Elliot chuckled, squeezing them all before letting go.

"Okay guys, go upstairs and get washed up for bed and stuff while I go make sure Eli hasn't trapped Liv into reading multiple bedtime stories." he stood up and kissed their foreheads. The children all nodded before heading towards their bedrooms, while Elliot breathed out and headed into the kitchen.

He jumped when he spotted Olivia standing at the island counter with glistening tears in her eyes.

"Baby, what's wrong?" he asked. She shook her head, stepping closer to him.

"I heard you guys," she breathed out, speaking quietly as she feared that she would sob if she spoke any louder, "The kids…I didn't even know it was that bad with Kathy."

"I didn't either, and I just hate that me thinking that I was doing right by them was the exact thing that was actually hurting them." He ran a hand down his face whilst wrapping the other around her.

"I also heard them say they wished I was their mother, heard you say that I _would_ be their mother if you could do it all again, and I heard…" she swallowed, looking up at him as she put a hand on his chest, "You would marry me in a heartbeat?"

His eyes went wide as it dawned on him. She had heard _everything._

"Olivia-"

"You actually would want to marry me?" she sniffled. Elliot's own eyes filled with tears as he nodded, gazing at her as he whispered;

"In a heartbeat."

Olivia nodded, swallowing as she looked at him; "You have no idea how much I have longed to hear Elliot Stabler say he would want to marry me."

His eyes went wide as he took in what she was saying. He cupped her face with his hands, stroking them with his thumbs, "Liv, I truly love you so much, I have for so long…I just…didn't want to rush you and-"

"And _nothing,_ " she giggled a bit, gripping onto his shirt; "Elliot, we've been _involved_ for twenty years; maybe officially for six weeks but emotionally, for twenty years. You now know everything about me just like I know everything about you. We've seen each other mistakes, all the highs and lows, and…fuck…I love the kids so much, just like they're my own, and I love _you…_ every single fucking part of _you_."

She reached up and wiped his tears away with her thumbs, gazing into his eyes as you spoke; "So…whenever you do ask me, the answer will be _yes_."

Elliot felt like the colors of his world had brightened even more than they already were. He gazed at her intently, his own tears once again falling down his cheeks as he stared at her for a second. He didn't even know what to say because nothing could describe how he felt in this moment.

Whenever he actually asked for her hand in marriage, _Olivia Benson_ would actually say _yes_.

And all he could do was crash his lips against hers. He felt complete…all thanks to the brunette woman that was in his arms.

The woman that just said that no matter when or how, her answer would always be the same;

 _Yes._

* * *

 ** _And here we have it guys, another part completed. Next chapter will be the court case. Leave some feedback! Until next time xoxo_**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm here with a new update. It's trial day - Olivia faces her attacker in court. I will admit though, the end of this update has a twist to it...dun dun.**

 **Also, I don't normally write court scenes because I'm not good at things like that and I don't know much about how court works, but I did my best; I promise. I hope it's okay.**

 **Enjoy guys xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends**

 **Part 28**

 _Thursday._

Today was the day.

Olivia Benson was doing taking charge and stepping up to the plate, with courage and bravery. She was going to court. She was going to face her attacker.

She was going to help put him behind bars.

Every word she'd known Elliot to say to victims, every word she herself had said to victims when they came into the hospital came crashing over her as she sat on the side of the bed, in her underwear set and robe. What happened to her wasn't her fault. Her case mattered. _She_ mattered. Someone believed her.

And now it was time to put this prick away.

She had barely slept the night before. She tossed and turned and woke up in cold sweats. Elliot was right there of course, holding her, kissing her, comforting her. He told her that everything would be okay and that he would be right there with her, fighting with her. She felt comforted knowing that he was there for her and he would be at the trial too. Since he had been present during the time Olivia gave her statement and had been one of the arresting officers and had participated in Mark's interrogation before being taken out, he would have to testify. He wouldn't be able to stay in the room while she was testifying, but he told her that he would be right outside the door and that alone helped her to feel better.

 _Knock knock._

"Come in!" She called. The door opened, and Elliot slipped into the room. He was already dressed in a pair of black trousers and a crisp light blue shirt along with a dark blue and white striped tie. He caught sight of her and frowned in confusion;

"You okay, baby?"

"I'm nervous," she sighed, flicking her gaze from the floor to him; "I don't know if I can look at him."

"Don't look at him unless you absolutely have to," Elliot told her; "ADA Barba is gonna make sure you're alright; just keep your eyes on him and answer his questions, and don't let the defense tear you down."

Olivia nodded, standing up and gazing into those beautiful blue eyes. There was a fierce loyalty and protection floating around in the sea of blue, and with that, she felt grounded and safe. He was here. She would be okay. She wasn't in this alone. Elliot was by her side.

"Okay," she nodded, "Okay, it'll be okay."

"It will," he slipped an arm around her waist; "Get dressed, then I have something for you."

She raised an eyebrow but obliged anyway. He slipped out of the room while she dressed in a pair of black pants and a navy-blue blouse along with a black blazer. She put on her black high heeled shoes and ran her fingers through her curly brunette locks, then slipped on a pair of earrings. She took a deep breath, then finally emerged from the bedroom. She entered the kitchen and found Elliot sipping some coffee while the kids were finishing their breakfast.

"You look great, Olivia!" Dickie remarked. The others hummed in agreement, complementing her on her appearance as well while Eli remarked with a "Pretty Livie!"

"Thanks guys; that makes me feel good." She replied. She moved around and placed kisses onto their foreheads before stepping closer to Elliot. He leaned in and kissed her lips, stroking his hand against her waist.

"We match." He chuckled. She nodded, eyeing her own clothes before looking at him.

"We do; and what's funny is I had this picked out last night before I even knew what you'd have on." She replied. He laughed, kissing her forehead before looking towards the kids; "Mo, you're still okay to drop Eli off at daycare?"

"Yeah, its cool; I'll drop him off on my way to work." Maureen replied as she put her plate in the sink. Elliot nodded, before pulling on his blazer and grabbing his keys.

"Okay guys; have a good day and we'll see you tonight." He replied. He went around and kissed them all on the head, and they all hollered a _"Good luck Olivia!"_ , which made her smile as she waved before leaving with Elliot.

The ride into the city was silent but relaxed. Olivia was going over things in her head, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to face. Elliot had one of his hands linked with hers and kept soothingly rubbing with his thumb, helping her to feel better. They both knew that this would be tough, but she knew that she'd be okay with him around. She just wanted to get through this and have her life back.

Elliot pulled into the parking lot before turning to her. She looked into those beautiful eyes and gave him a smile as she stroked her thumb over this cheek.

"Got my back?" She quietly asked.

"Of course," he turned his head to kiss her hand; "Got your back like you got mine." He then reached into the backseat and pulled out a medium sized box, then flicked it open. Olivia gasped at the sight of the beautiful necklace, her gaze flicking between the shiny gold and her boyfriend's eyes.

"What's this?" She asked, watching as he lifted it out of the box.

"My _semper fidelis_ medallion from the Marines," he explained, smiling at her; "It means _always faithful_ , which is what I am to you…what I have been for twenty years. I want you to have it; I'm always with you – today in court, and forever."

Olivia blinked a bit, trying to stop the tears from falling as they'd welled up in her eyes. Nobody had ever given her anything to special, and for Elliot to give her something so meaningful was almost overwhelming. All she could do was nod her head and give him a fierce kiss on the lips as her hands cupped his face.

"I'll wear it with pride," She pecked his lips again before pulling back to stare into his eyes; "I'm always faithful to you too; I promise."

Elliot smiled, then pulled back and slipped the necklace over her head. Olivia put it into her blouse so that the gold metal was directly on her skin, and immediately she felt a sense of warmth wash over her. The two got out of the car and made their way up the court steps, both of them feeling strong and brave and ready to finally get this out of the way.

"You ready?" He asked as they walked down the hall towards the court room. She nodded, knocking her fist against his.

"Let's do this."

* * *

The morning went by quickly as things moved smoothly. Fin testified about his involvement in the case, as did Elliot as the two of them were the arresting officers and had been there when Olivia gave her statement. The defense had come in strong and tried to fight back, even had the audacity to bring up Elliot's outburst in the interrogation room. Barba was ready for every trick though and seemed to object to just about everything, most of which were sustained which caused him to smirk. Things were going well, and so after lunch when it was Olivia's turn to testify, she was ready.

Elliot gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek and wished her luck. She nodded, and they did their little handshake, before she was then led into the room by a court officer. As she walked towards the stand, she spotted Casey sitting in the gallery area behind Barba. She gave her a supportive smile to which Olivia returned before stepping onto the witness stand. After she was sworn in, she was allowed to sit down. She deliberately kept her eyes on Barba, but she could feel Mark's gaze on her.

She refused to crumble. She was going to help put this bastard away. With Elliot's medallion around her neck and his presence outside the courtroom, everything was okay.

"Miss Benson, could you please state your full name for the court." Barba began.

"Olivia Benson."

"And Miss Benson, do you know why we are here?"

"Yes."

Barba nodded before continuing; "Miss Benson could you please tell the court of the events that transpired between the night of March thirty-first and the early morning hours of April first, two thousand eighteen?"

Olivia nodded and took a moment to compose herself;

"I went out with my friend to a club called _Aqua_ on fifty-fourth street; we went to relax and let our hair down after a long week. We got a table and had some drinks – not enough to get drunk, but enough to have fun. A friend of ours joined us later."

Barba nodded his head; "What time was when your friend joined?"

"I'm not sure – maybe eleven or a little after."

"And what happened next?"

Olivia swallowed a bit, keeping her eyes on Barba; "The three of us were talking, and a man came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. He introduced himself as Mark, and we talked for a little and he offered to buy me a drink. I accepted and went to…went to sit at the bar with him." Her voice was wobbling slightly, but she was determined to stay strong.

"What happened after that?"

"We were talking, and I looked away for a second to see if I could spot my friends on the dance floor. We kept talking, then my friends came over and said they were going to get coffee and asked if I wanted to go, and I said no because I was enjoying the conversation with Mark. They left, and I turned back to him…and then it starts to get fuzzy." A tear slipped down her cheek, and Barba gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I apologize if this will be hard to discuss, but just take your time," he told her before continuing; "What happened next, Miss Benson?"

"I can vaguely remember feeling strange, like dizzy; I never feel like that when I drink. So, he suggested we go get some air. I can remember us going outside, but nobody seemed to be around. I remember the brick wall I was pressed against, I remember his hands on my waist…then…nothing."

"Do you remember consenting to anything?" Barba asked. Olivia shook her head straight away.

"No," she sniffled a bit; "And I especially would have never consented to sex with a stranger against a wall."

Barba nodded, stepping to the side a bit; "Can you point to the _Mark_ who captured your attention and was with you during that night?"

Olivia nodded, then pointed at Mark, whom was sitting at the defense table. He glared at her then looked down at the table. She swallowed and looked back at Barba, but she could feel the bravery coursing through her. She could do this.

"Thank you, Miss Benson," Barba gave her a comforting smile before looking at the judge, "Nothing further." He gave her another smile before going back to his table. She watched as the defense attorney – Paul Samson – made his way over to her. He had a look in his eye that Olivia didn't like, but she was determined to remain strong and not let him break her down.

"Miss Benson, I'm so sorry for the trauma you've endured." He began, a smile on his face. Olivia gave him a nod as she eyed him.

"Miss Benson, you say things from that night are fuzzy," he rubbed his chin as he stood in front of her, "How many drinks did you consume?"

"Uh…about two before Mark and I began talking, and one with him," she shrugged, "Not enough to be drunk."

"High alcohol tolerance, Miss Benson?"

Olivia's eyes narrowed as she looked at him, a bite in her tone as she answered; "I don't drink a lot; I know when to stop and cut myself off."

"Ah," Paul nodded, "Are you sure you cut yourself off on the night in question?"

"Yes, because I felt strange and knew not to drink anymore," she glared at him, keeping her voice calm as she spoke; "Even so, three drinks don't usually affect me the way things affected me that night."

Paul nodded before continuing, "The prosecution claims that there was GHB in your system on the night-"

"Objection," Barba burst out, standing up, "Those aren't just _claims;_ there's an actual medical report that supports that theory; Miss Benson did have GHB in her system on the night." He pulled the paperwork from his file and stepped forward when the judge told him to do so. Her eyes scanned the paperwork, then she looked at Paul; "Objection sustained; there is evidence of the GHB in Miss Benson's system so if there's a question in here somewhere, ask it. If not, move on."

Barba shot Olivia a supportive look before returning to his seat while Paul let out a sigh. He composed himself, then turned back to Olivia; "Okay Miss Benson; there's evidence of GHB in your system on the night; how can you be sure that your identification of my client is correct?"

"Because I can remember his face; despite how fuzzy things may be, I didn't forget his face," she breathed out, "I remember the cold eyes as they looked at me, I remember his voice and his hands and the tattoo."

Her eyes darted to Mark; "He drugged and raped me."

"Your Honor-"

"Jury will disregard that," the judge stepped in before looking to Olivia; "Miss Benson, please keep your answers contained to the questions."

Olivia nodded and quickly apologized before looking to Paul again. He was looking at her, though Olivia could see in his eyes that he was running out of argument.

"Miss Benson," he folded his arms across his chest; "Do you know the arresting officers on this case?"

Olivia froze for a second, but before she could think of an answer without perjuring herself, Barba stepped in; "Objection – relevance?"

"I'm getting to that." Paul replied with a smirk on his lips. The judge overruled Barba's objection and the passionate ADA locked eyes with Olivia. She looked at him for a second before looking up at Paul; "Yes…I know them."

"What's the nature of your relationship with them?"

"I've known Detective Stabler for twenty years and Detective Tutuola for about ten years maybe or less; I consider them to be two of my closest friends." She answered the question carefully, but she was wondering which way this was going.

"Interesting," Paul walked in front of her, blocking her view of Barba; "Would you say that you get special treatment at the hands of the law, due to being close to the two detectives?"

"No, I would not say that at all."

"But wasn't it true that your case was assigned the highest priority within the Special Victims Unit?"

"I'm not aware of that," Olivia snapped, glaring at him, "I assumed it would be treated like any other case."

"I just find it funny that you are close friends with two of the detectives in the unit that happened to prioritize your case, and those same two detectives happened to be the arresting officers." Paul remarked.

"Objection!" Barba burst out.

"Tell me Miss Benson, how long have you been involved with Detective Stabler?" Paul questioned, causing a look of shock to come across her face.

"Objection!"

"Mister Samson," the judge banged her gavel against the desk; "What is the relevance of that question?"

"I'm just wondering how long she's been involved with the detective who just happened to be the arresting officer on this case and happens to work in a unit that prioritized her case." Paul smugly replied. Barba was looking at the judge, who sighed and looked at Olivia; "Miss Benson, please answer the question."

Olivia looked at Paul again, glaring at him as she answered; "We've been seeing each other for about six weeks."

"Funny," Paul scoffed; "A reward for him arresting an innocent man you've pointed a finger at."

"Objection!"

"Withdrawn," Paul smirked, "Nothing further." With that, he turned and made his way back over to the defense table. Olivia was allowed to step down, which she quickly did. She was led out of the court room by a court officer; she thanked him before rushing off towards the bathrooms, breezing past both Fin and Elliot whom looked between her and the court officer. The court officer gave them both a sad look before leading the next victim inside to testify. Elliot stood up to go after Olivia but was stopped when Casey rushed out as well.

"Case, what happened?" he immediately asked.

"That defense attorney is a jackass," Casey replied, trying her hardest to calm down as well; "She did so good, she was great until that defense attorney started and even then, she was great and then he just like – he questioned how she knew you two, basically tried to make it seem like there was some conspiracy between her and you guys and all that, and then the prick had the fucking audacity to ask how long you two had been involved."

Elliot's eyes darkened and the vein in his neck began to pulsate as anger coursed through him. He wanted nothing more than to burst into the court room and strangle Paul for putting Olivia through this. He knew defense attorneys always pulled out anything they could think of to argue their point, but the fact that he had stooped so low as to bring their relationship into this and imply that they were all involved in some cover up was enough to piss Elliot off.

"The jackass is gonna think he's got his dumbass brother off the hook," Fin rolled his eyes as he stood up; "Gonna be mighty funny when they realize the other vics statements line up with Olivia's and that there's no way they could've known each other at all."

"It's still early, so I hope to God this case doesn't drag too much," Casey looked up as Olivia emerged from the bathroom and headed back their way; "Liv…you okay?"

"I'm fine," Olivia wrapped her arms around her best friend, giving her a tight hug; "Thanks for being in there."

"I'm always here." Casey replied, rubbing her shoulder. Olivia gave her a small smile before falling into Elliot's arms for a hug. He squeezed her tight and kissed the top of her head, whispering how proud he was of her. Fin gave her a pat on the back and told her that she did great, and Olivia thanked them both for their support and help.

She knew that no matter what, everything was going to be okay.

* * *

They hung around the courthouse for most of the day. Olivia and Casey were allowed to watch the second victim testify, then the third as well. The final two victims had refused to testify, but it seemed that Olivia and the other two were enough as they could see the defense's argument growing increasingly weary as the day went on. Elliot and Fin remained in the back of the gallery and watched from afar, both prepared to jump in if anything got out of hand. Things seemed to be going well, and with the speed at which the case rolled on, by the end of the day, the judge announced that the following day would consist of the testimony of Mark Weber, any final witnesses, and closing arguments. Once court was adjourned, Olivia and Casey made their way outside with Elliot and Fin.

"You guys wanna go get some dinner?" Fin asked, looking around them all.

"I'm not up for it," Olivia shook her head; "I just wanna get home; I need to go cuddle Eli or something." She let out a laugh, running her hand down her face while Elliot simply rubbed her back.

"Yeah; I'm just gonna get her home." He chimed in. Fin nodded before looking to Casey; "What about you Novak? Up for dinner?"

"I'm always up for food," she smiled; "I'll follow you in my car."

"Cool," Fin smiled before giving a hug to Olivia; "See you tomorrow, baby girl; we'll be right here with you."

"We definitely will, Liv." Casey chimed in, giving her friend another hug. Olivia thanked them both and bid them farewell, before she and Elliot then descended the steps together. He helped her into the Jeep, then got in as well.

"Pizza or Chinese tonight?" he asked as he started the engine.

"Pizza please, comfort food." Olivia replied. Elliot gave her a sympathetic smile before leaning over and kissing her cheek.

"I love you, and I'm proud of you." He told her, gazing into her eyes. She smiled before leaning forward and capturing his lips while stroking his cheek with her thumb;

"I love you too; thank you for everything."

* * *

ADA Rafael Barba was smugly grinning to himself as he packed up his files for the night. Court had ended some hours ago, and since then, he had been back in his office preparing his closing arguments for the following day. It had been a good day – despite Paul's efforts of breaking down Olivia. He had been like a deer caught in headlights when he realized that everything Olivia said lined up with what the other victims said, and that he couldn't claim conspiracy or anything like that because there was no way the victims were connected. Barba felt like the case was a slam dunk, and he couldn't wait to see that bastard Mark Weber head to jail where he belonged.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to see a blonde-haired woman standing in the doorway. He raised an eyebrow straight away; "Hello – can I help you?"

"Hi, um…" she swallowed nervously; "You're ADA Rafael Barba – right?"

Barba nodded, so the woman continued; "I have some information regarding Mark Weber, and his attorney Paul Samson." She pulled out a file and a cell phone, and Barba instantly raised an eyebrow as he took the contents into his hand.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Transcripts of texts between Paul and Mark," the woman explained; "Paul and I were involved, but…we aren't anymore. Anyway, he left his phone at mine and never came back for it, and I just…I had a hunch. A friend of mine works in the Technical Assistance Response Unit of the New York City police, and I asked him to check the phone for me and he found all those deleted texts."

Barba flicked through the transcripts, his eyes going wide as he read. This information he was seeing changed everything about this case, and he had to hurry up and find a judge either tonight or first thing in the morning to look through this.

"Can you use this?" the woman asked. Barba looked up at her.

"Did you get this all on your own?"

"Yes, I did."

"I'm gonna talk to the judge in the morning; you might have just sealed the case for us," he stuffed the file into his briefcase before sticking his hand out; "Thank you Miss…um…"

"Kathy," the woman replied, shaking his hand;

"Kathy Martin."

* * *

 ** _Remember from the other chapter when it was revealed what Kathy's maiden name was? Dun dun! ;) I hope you all enjoyed this. Leave some feed back. Until next time xoxo_**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm back with a new update. So...the end of last chapter right? Yeah, the first part of this will give an understanding as to what that was about. And the second part of this update, Olivia and Elliot meet with Serena.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends**

 **Part 29**

The conference room of the District Attorney's office was silent; so much so that the only sounds to be heard was that of the air conditioning unit that quietly hummed in the background, the distant creaks and slams of doors and clicks of heels against the shiny marble floors, and the quiet breathing of the three women whom had just witnessed something so overwhelming after receiving the craziest information and hearing such a confession from the man whom had violated them in the worst way, and the lawyer whom was representing him.

The day had been chaotic from the start. All of the women received calls from Assistant District Attorney Rafael Barba that morning, telling them that they were to meet in the conference room at the District Attorney's office. Elliot escorted Olivia to the office, where she sat at the conference table with the other two victims that had been testifying. Fin had joined them eventually as Barba had called for both detectives to be in the room as well. Once Mark and Paul arrived as well – as they were under the impression that this was a meeting to discuss some sort of deal – they were able to get down to business.

They didn't know that Barba had already notified a judge, whom had signed off on a warrant which allowed Munch and Amanda to search Paul's apartment which was what they had been doing as the meeting began. Barba was giving them a chance to confess before he hit them with the evidence.

Barba suggested a deal and outlined the charges, explained that he had evidence that the rapes were planned and that he knew exactly who Mark had been working with. Mark didn't believe him, though Barba nor Elliot or Fin missed the fact that he had given his brother a subtle glance. It was then that Barba pointed out the fact that it was not just a mere coincidence that Mark wound up at the clubs that the victims were at. Mark stumbled over his words and Paul told him to be quiet and suggested that the people had not made their case, but Barba was prepared. It was then that he signaled to Fin, who poked his head into the hall. A few moments later, Olivia and the other two ladies were watching as a couple uniformed officers made their way into the room along with Amanda and Munch, whom were holding evidence bags from Paul's apartment – one bag held baggies of GHB pills, another held files with detailed schedules of all four victims, all from where they lived to where they worked and any activities in between. Amanda even pointed out that they had sent his computer over to TARU, who would be going through it with a fine-tooth comb and would be able to retrieve any deleted information.

And just like that, they knew it was done.

It was like the floodgates opened. Mark called his brother pathetic and told him he couldn't do anything right; Paul retaliated by pinning the blame on him. He confessed that Mark came to him shortly after his wife left him and fled the abusive situation, and that Mark was furious and needed someone to pay. He explained that Mark had memorized the faces of the nurses that he saw talking to his wife in the months leading up to her leaving and vowed then that they would pay for breaking up his home, and that he would then go get his ex-wife. In exchange for helping him, Mark was to keep quiet about the nasty coke habit and his financial troubles that led to him embezzling money from the law firm. Mark lunged for his brother but was restrained by Elliot and Fin, and it was then that he confessed that he and his brother had planned everything and that the women deserved it for breaking up his home. He was still yelling obscenities as uniformed officers led him and Paul out of the conference room, with Amanda and Munch following behind them to get back to the precinct.

And now, they were sitting in a brief silence, trying to come to terms with what had just happened.

"Liv," Elliot knelt down in front of her, stroking her hand; "It's over, baby; it's all over."

"I'm just…wow," she breathed out, nodding her head; "It's over; they're going to jail."

"Indeed, they are, for stalking, for the drugs, and in Mark's case, for facilitating a sexual offense with a controlled substance; they're going away for a long time." Barba explained as he packed up his files.

"Good work counselor." Fin remarked, shaking his hand.

"Thank you, Mister Barba, for everything." One of the other women spoke as she stood up as well. Barba shook their hands, giving them a smile. The two women – whom were named Claudia and Michelle – all shared a group hug with Olivia, and after the three promised to get together soon and maybe go for coffee, the two left out. Olivia remained standing in the conference room with Elliot, Fin, and Barba.

"Thanks Barba, you really did bring us some justice." Olivia remarked, giving the friendly man a hug.

"How did you even know to check the phone records and all that? We hadn't even thought about that." Fin asked as he lifted his cup to his lips to take a sip of coffee.

"It fell into my lap, believe it or not," Barba shrugged, perching himself on the table, "Woman stopped me as I was about to leave last night, she said Paul left his old phone at hers and she had a hunch, so she connected with a friend in TARU and asked them to check and there it all was."

Elliot paused and exchanged a glance with Fin and Olivia, both whom had wide eyes as well. No…it couldn't have been…

"Who was this woman? What did she look like?" he slowly asked.

"Blonde hair, blue eyes, she was wearing jeans and a long coat," Barba shrugged as he picked up his briefcase, "Um…shit what was her name? Kathy Mat…Mar…Martin; Kathy Martin."

Fin almost choked on his coffee, Olivia choked on her water, and Elliot simply froze. With Barba's statement about Paul's phone being left at this woman's place, they all had a hunch that Kathy was involved but at the same time, they didn't at all actually think that she would've gone above and beyond to help this case considering Olivia was involved. Clearly though, they had been wrong; the woman had a heart in there somewhere and had gone out of her way to help them.

Barba noticed their reaction and raised an eyebrow; "Do you all know her?"

"You never met Stabler's wife, I keep forgetting," Fin muttered before explaining; "She's Stabler's ex-wife; Martin is her maiden name."

Barba's eyes went wide, and he immediately looked to Elliot, who held his hand up; "I haven't had any contact with her since things became final; and even then, I was only talking to her to sort out custody for our kids that are still living at home; honest to God."

"Who the hell is she friends with in TARU?" Fin asked.

"The guy – the brother of that guy Ruben Morales," Olivia pointed out, hitting Elliot on his arm, "I remember you telling me that he and her had been friends since high school."

"Shit, I forgot all about that guy," Elliot dragged his hand down his face before looking at Barba, "I mean does this now jeopardize what happened or-"

"Oh no, course not; you two are no longer married and I mean I heard you and your wife had a nasty split so I'm sure you didn't at all ask her for help, it's all good," Barba smirked before giving Olivia a hug, "You take care of yourself and take care of him." He nodded his head at Elliot, giving her a warm smile. She smiled back, nodding her head.

"You'll see me around, trust me." She said. Barba smiled before leaving out, then the two detectives and Olivia followed suit.

"Damn, what a day," Fin breathed out as they descended the courthouse steps together, "It's over though – all good and we can move on."

"Damn right; I'm glad to put all of this bullshit behind me," Olivia spoke with a shrug of her shoulders, "I can't believe the brother actually helped plan the rapes though and all of this was because we talked to his wife; what the hell?"

"You didn't recognize him at all?" Elliot asked.

"Nope, not that night in the club; I never even saw him on the two occasions I actually did talk to her." Olivia replied.

"What a weirdo," Fin fished his keys from his pocket; "Well, I'm about to go meet my kid for a father-son afternoon. You two got plans for this afternoon?"

Elliot and Olivia exchanged a quick glance, nodding their head as they looked at their friend.

"Yeah," Olivia took a deep breath, "There's something we gotta do too."

* * *

The quaint little eatery in Manhattan with customers coming for afternoon coffee, college students with laptops and notebooks scattered across tables, and mindless chatter of other patrons whom were simply enjoying the afternoon sunshine. Olivia and Elliot had just sat down at a round table outside underneath an umbrella and were simply chatting quietly, when Olivia spotted the woman wandering towards them. Elliot followed her gaze, his blue eyes settling on the woman whom was wandering towards him. She had dark brown hair and green eyes and wore a simple dark blue summery dress with a grey cardigan and black shoes. Her eyes were staring straight at Olivia and a shy smile was on her lips.

"Olivia," she swallowed nervously, "Hi."

"H-hi," Olivia stuttered quietly before gesturing to the seat across from her and Elliot, "Um…have a seat."

The woman sat down, smiling at them both. Olivia grabbed Elliot's hand under the table, and immediately relaxed a little when she felt him rubbing her hand with his thumb.

"Uh…" she paused for a moment and cleared her throat; "Elliot, this is Serena Benson – my mother; Moth-Serena, this is Elliot – my boyfriend."

Serena nodded, sticking her hand out to Elliot; "The young man at her apartment that day; it's nice to meet you under better circumstances; I'm sorry for my behavior that day."

"All is forgiven, don't worry." Elliot politely replied as he shook her hand. He couldn't bring himself to say that it was nice to meet this woman, as when he looked at her, all he saw was the woman that had put Olivia through hell and completely broken her spirit.

There was silence for a few moments as the waitress came over and took their orders; Serena simply ordered a lemonade, while Elliot and Olivia both ordered cups of coffee as they needed a pick up. Once the waitress walked away, the silence continued for a few moments as the someone tried to figure out what to say next. Elliot had his arm draped across the back of Olivia's chair and was rubbing her arm, simply giving her some support.

"I…um…wow," Serena let out a nervous chuckle as she looked at her daughter; "You've grown into a beautiful young woman, Olive; you look wonderful."

Olivia felt her stomach flip at the nickname; _Olive –_ something her mother called her before she turned into an abusive monster.

"Thank you," she quietly replied as she tucked some hair behind her ear; "You look nice too; I'm just uh…sorry about your illness."

"Hey, it's okay; I did this to myself." Serena held her hand up. There was a pause again as the waitress returned with their drinks, and after being assured that they weren't ordering anything else, she walked away. Serena watched as Elliot and Olivia smiled at each other as they put cream and sugar into their coffees, the same exact amount. She realized then that this went beyond the normal stance of ' _boyfriend_ '; her daughter had something deep, meaningful, and super special with this man.

"So, um…how long have you got?" Olivia slowly asked. Serena shrugged, fiddling with the straw in her glass.

"Not sure; I'm slowly getting my strength back after the chemotherapy which messed me up for a while, but the doctors haven't given me an estimate on time," she sighed, looking up from her glass; "I know it's terminal and I've made peace with it; there's nothing more they can do; I'm just gonna enjoy the last little bit of life and right the wrongs of my past – well try to."

Olivia nodded, swallowing the lump in her threat. She felt Elliot stroke her arm, and she placed a hand on his knee, rubbing gently with her thumb.

"So, fill me in on your life, Olive; I know bits and pieces but not too much." Serena spoke up after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Well, I graduated from high school at in the top ten of my class, went to college online and went to nursing school; all of that. I've been a nurse for about thirteen years now; I started off working in the doctor's office and I've been in the Mercy Emergency Room for about seven of those years now, so yeah; that's it – I've just grown up and grown from the past." Olivia explained, unable to stop the smile on her face. She was always proud of her achievements, and Elliot could see that on her face. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple, whispering that he was always proud of her which made her smile as she leaned into him.

Serena watched the sweet exchange, a smile on her lips though a bittersweet feeling washed over her. She hated that she had missed so much of her daughter's life due to her own actions, but she was proud of the woman that Olivia had grown into. She knew that Olivia had a fight inside of her and a desire to do something great with her life, hence why she had left the house all those years ago and never come back.

"Wow, I'm proud of you," she nodded, blinking back the tears in her eyes; "And this – how long has this been going on? You two are lovely together." She gestured between the pair.

"Officially, a little over a month," Elliot explained; "But we've been friends for twenty years; I met her one night at the diner she was working at."

"And he spent two hours talking to me when he should've been at home with his wife and baby." She shot him a look and he rolled his eyes, playfully tickling her side before kissing her cheek. The two then spotted Serena watching them with a curious expression, and it was then that they both realized that they should probably elaborate.

"He got married at seventeen, something he never wanted to do but the good Catholic in him did," Olivia explained; "He'd been married for about a year when I met him, and that night we met, he came into the diner after a shitty day and spent forever talking to me and stuff."

"Oh right," Serena nodded, tilting her head to the side; "And you two never…um…you know-"

"Never," Elliot cut her off, holding his hand up; "I respected Olivia too much to ever do that, and she respected my marriage too much; she fought for it more than I did."

"I was trying to keep your family together." She pointed out.

"And I appreciate that, but we're good with things now." He smirked, tapping her nose.

Serena chuckled a bit before asking; "Family? You have…kids?"

"Yeah, five of them," Elliot rolled his eyes, yet a smile was on his lips; "They drive me insane, but I love them all; a twenty-one-year-old daughter, a sixteen-year-old daughter, twelve-year-old twins – a boy and girl – and an almost three-year-old son."

"Oh wow, that's lovely; those are the children I saw with you that day at the apartment?" Serena wondered.

"Yeah, that's them – well that was four of them." Elliot replied with a nod of the head. Serena nodded before flicking her gaze to Olivia;

"I assume they love you very much, don't they?"

"They do, and I love them," Olivia couldn't help but smile at the thought of all the Stabler kids, whom she had watched grow into the people they were today; "I've been around since they were all babies and they all have special places in my heart, but me and the youngest have a special bond; it's great."

Serena nodded, giving her a small smile. She briefly flicked her gaze to the table then back up to Olivia's face again, studying her intently before speaking quietly; "I've missed a lot, haven't I?"

Olivia nodded, her smile fading slightly as she spoke; "Yeah…you have…" she paused and took a moment to compose herself. There would never be a right time to do this, but now was a time to get it out of the way. She needed some answers so she could close this wound once and for all.

So, with a determined heart and a fierce look in her eyes, she lifted her gaze back to her mother's once again, locking her own brown eyes with the green ones that held years of pain and despair.

She uttered a simple question:

"Why?"

Serena froze for a second then stammered; "I…I don't…"

"Why did you treat me like I was nothing?" Olivia quietly asked; "Why did you let those men do those things to me? Why did you beat me and laugh at me and put me down?"

She felt a couple tears slip down her cheeks and she sniffled a bit;

"Why couldn't you love me?"

Serena sniffled a bit, nodding as she spoke; "I knew this was coming, and I know you need some answers."

She fiddled with her hands as she flicked her gaze back to her daughter, her own eyes watering at the sight of the moisture that had gathered in the brown eyes belonging to the young lady that she should have been there for;

"I tried Olive, I tried; not hard enough granted, but I did…" she sighed;

"The more you started to look like _him,_ the more I couldn't cope – the flashbacks, the nightmares, the fact that you were even naturally smart and had the same mannerisms as him and you were only like _five;_ it drove me insane. At first, I drank after you went to bed, but it was like…each day as I looked at you, I needed more and more drinks to take the edge off. I just…I was so angry and sick and then you looked like him so much, I snapped. I wanted to love you, but I couldn't see past the fact that you looked like him; I hated him, and with you looking like him, it made me hate you too, and I hated myself because I couldn't fathom how I could hate my own daughter that never did anything wrong other than to try and help me."

She wiped the tears away, though more continued to spill down her cheeks as she continued;

"Those men…they helped me to forget, supplied me with drugs and alcohol and cigarettes to help me forget about my shitty life, and I was just so wrapped up in wanting to forget and so wrapped up in my hatred towards you that I just let them do whatever to you, and for that, I am so fucking sorry Olivia; you'll never know how sorry I am. I was sick, and once everything cleared and I was sober, you have no idea how much I have struggled with that thought over the last few years. I was supposed to protect you, but I was so wrapped up in my shit, I didn't even bother."

Olivia was crying now, but Elliot had both of his arms wrapped around her in a bit to soothe her. He pressed a kiss to her head and whispered the sweetest words of love while stroking her side gently as they continued to listen;

"Then…you got pregnant and all I could think about was how much you were ruining your life, how you'd end up like me; I dragged you to that fucking abortion clinic and ignored everything you said about leaving and taking care of yourself; I guess I thought you would never leave, and I guess…I guess I made you get that abortion because I wanted you to do what I felt like I should have done when I found out about my pregnancy. And then…you left."

She let out a small sob and put her hand over her mouth, taking a moment to compose herself;

"You…you left. I still remember coming to and you not being there; I searched the house, called the school and they told me they didn't know what I was talking about because I had signed paperwork to take you out because we were meant to move; I had no idea what she was talking about but that's when it dawned one me that you were gone. I didn't think you'd get on a plane because you hated planes, so I ran to the bus station and showed your picture to the guy at the desk, and that's when he told me he had seen you get on a bus six hours earlier. I can't describe the pain I felt…I had lost you, and I knew you weren't coming back."

She sniffled again, whimpering; "I lost you and missed out on your life, caused so much damage; and I am _so_ sorry."

"Sere-"

"No Olivia, please, let me finish," Serena held up her hand; "I'm sorry for hurting you, for not loving you when that's all you deserved. You're a kind hearted, beautiful person – you always have been – and I did nothing but treat you like _shit_. I know it doesn't make much of a difference now and maybe that explanation wasn't one that you were looking for, but I want you to know that I am so sorry for every single thing I have ever done to hurt you. It probably doesn't mean much, but I just…I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, and I can only hope that we can start over."

Olivia swallowed the lump in her throat. Hearing her mother pour her soul out to her was hard, especially when her mother implied that she felt like she should have aborted her, but it was still refreshing to finally receive some answers. Maybe there was no clear-cut answer to this, but she got the gist of things. She felt bittersweet; bitter at the harsh truth of why she had been treated the way she had been, but sweet because finally, she had gotten an answer and most importantly, she had gotten an apology.

Twenty years later and she finally had gotten a fucking apology.

She reached across the table and curled her hand around Serena's, which had been resting on the table. She gave it a gentle squeeze, causing the older woman to look at her again.

"Part of me wishes you had just put me up for adoption, saved us all some trouble; I blamed myself for years, thinking I was the cause of your struggles and maybe part of me was, but there had to be some love there for you to try and raise me I guess," Olivia shrugged, squeezing her hand; "In some way, I think everything happens for a reason; so part of me thanks you for raising me the way you did, because it showed me that I have to be independent and take care of myself and look out for myself, and really, if you hadn't done what you did, I never would have come to New York which was where I was meant to be; so…I'll never be fine with what you did, but I can move on from it."

She shrugged, still holding the older woman's hand as she spoke with the upmost sincerity;

"I forgive you."

"Oh God," Serena let out a small sob as more tears slipped down her cheeks; "Thank you…I just…thank you."

Olivia smiled, tears slipping down her cheeks as well. Elliot was watching as she moved her chair a little closer then pulled the woman into a hug, squeezing her tightly as the two sobbed quietly in each other's arms. This was a moment that had been twenty years in the making; forgiveness, acceptance, closure; all of it. They both felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of them and felt like they could move on, and while Olivia was probably always going to be cautious regarding her past and especially her mother, this could at least be the start of something.

They could all move on now, especially Olivia.

They finally had closure.

* * *

 _ **And here we have it. Another update finished; leave some feedback. Next chapter might be the last - I'm not sure. But for now, enjoy this one. Until next time xoxo**_


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey everyone!**

 **Here we are - I'm here with another update. A big moment for Elliot and Olivia; I can't wait for you guys to read this.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends**

 **Part 30**

Following the emotional chat with Serena, the two ended up staying with her for a few more hours, just talking things through. The meeting actually ended with some smiles as Olivia promised they would get together for lunch again next week sometime, something Serena was grateful for. She and Elliot bid her farewell shortly after and once she was safely in a cab, they headed home themselves. The ride back to Queens was silent; Elliot knew that Olivia was probably going over things in her head, soaking in the events and finally coming to terms with what had happened. He didn't dare interrupt her and knew not to push her to talk before she was ready to do so. He simply drove with one hand while holding her hand with his other, linking their fingers together as he ran his thumb over her soft skin.

Elliot pulled into the driveway and parked beside Maureen's car, before turning to her. She looked at him and gave him a soft smile, squeezing his hand.

"I'm okay, I promise."

He searched her eyes for any idea that she was lying, but he found none. She really was okay with everything and finally felt like the weights had been lifted off of her. She had closure and now, she actually could see herself having a relationship with her mother; something to make up for the years, something beautiful for however long her mother had left on this earth.

"You're so brave and strong, baby; I'm so proud of you," he dropped her hand and reached over to tuck some hair behind her ear; "Onwards and upwards, right?"

She nodded, leaning closer to him as she whispered; "Onwards and upwards, with you and the kids; my family." She then pressed a kiss to his lips, breathing against them as his fingers curled into the fabric of the blazer she was wearing. He briefly stroked his tongue against hers before pulling away, resting his head against hers.

"I love you." He murmured.

"I love you too." She smiled back.

The two shared one more quick kiss before getting out of the car, then they made their way up the steps to their front door. They went inside and were immediately greeted by the chatter of the kids, which was coming from the living room. Elliot locked the door before he and Olivia then made their way into the large room; the twins were sprawled out across opposite ends of the smaller sofa, Kathleen was sprawled out across the sofa with Eli on her lap as they looked through a book together, and Maureen was curled up in the spacious arm chair. They were all just relaxing together, chatting a bit but mainly enjoying the time together, and there were times like this that Elliot was truly grateful that he had kids that seemed to get along quite well even if they did fight every now and then.

"Hey guys; we're home, finally." He greeted, capturing their attention. Eli immediately scrambled from Kathleen's lap and ran over to Olivia, launching into her arms straight away as she grabbed him and lifted him into her arms properly. Elliot leaned over and kissed his son's curls, before greeting his other children as well.

"How'd things go?" Maureen asked, sitting up properly to look at them.

"All good," Olivia replied as she plonked herself onto the sofa beside Kathleen; "He's going to jail for a long, _long_ time; him and his brother."

"His brother too?" Kathleen wondered, looking over at him. Elliot and Olivia shook their heads, holding up a hand as they both simultaneously replied with a simple; "Don't ask."

"Point taken," Kathleen laughed; "So…it's all over?"

"All over, honey; it's all done." Olivia replied. Kathleen simply nodded and smiled, snuggling into her side for a hug. Olivia unraveled one arm from around Eli and wrapped it around Kathleen, hugging her close and kissing the top of her head.

"Did you meet with your Mom, Liv?" Maureen asked. Olivia nodded, glancing at Elliot before looking back at Maureen.

"I did, and you know it was…it was what I needed to do," she sighed, looking around at them all; "It was closure, like you said it would be, Mo; we all needed it to move on and you know, I feel ready to move on in life now – with everything."

"So, Liv, will we get to meet your Mom?" Lizzie asked, a curious expression on her face.

"Maybe," Olivia shrugged; "Listen guys, me and her had a rocky relationship for years, but me and her are gonna work on things and maybe you'll all get to meet her properly; deal?"

There were simultaneous responses of 'deal' that reverberated around the room. Olivia chuckled and glanced up at Elliot, who leaned down and kissed her quickly before standing up again.

"Hey guys, what do you say we go out for pizza tonight hey?"

All the children seem to agree and quickly jumped up to change, taking Eli with them. Elliot held out his hands for Olivia to take, which she did as she stood up from her seat. He slipped his arms around her and pulled her against him, resting his head against hers.

"Come on, let's get changed and take our family out." He whispered. She nodded, her heart swelling at his words as the smile spread across her face.

"Our family." She whispered. She kissed him again before holding his hand, leading him up the stairs. She had a plan for later in the night after the kids were in bed, and she just hoped that Elliot would be impressed when he saw her. She was finally ready to take the biggest step; to finally give all of herself over to Elliot.

She couldn't wait.

* * *

The family dinner at the nearby pizza place was great; the small family of seven enjoyed their meal together while laughing and talking and simply enjoying each other's company. For Olivia, this gave her an extreme feeling of warmth and comfort. For a long time, she had felt so lost and alone in this world. She never had felt like she had much of a family, just close friends in Elliot and Alex and later Casey. For so long, it was just her – she had to grow up quickly and survive on her own, she had to take care of herself and be her own warrior.

She was her own _family_.

But now, things were different. As she sat in the restaurant and listened to the conversations and laughter of the Stablers, she felt like she was where she belonged. They were her family now, and she wouldn't have it any other way. They had always meant the world to her and the fact that they'd just accepted her and accepted this relationship she had with their father was something that made her feel great. She couldn't wait to see what the future held, but she knew that no matter what, Elliot and the kids would always be by her side.

Forever sounded so good, and it didn't even scare her.

After dinner, they returned home and watched movies for the rest of the night as a little family. Eli went to bed at his normal bed time, after Olivia read him a bedtime story of course as that had become their new thing to bond together. The other kids followed suit within the couple hours and so by midnight, the house was silent apart from the television that was playing downstairs.

Olivia had gone upstairs, leaving Elliot to lock up the house and check the security system. While he was occupied downstairs, Olivia was in their bedroom, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. Tonight, was a big deal for her, and even though she felt more than ready to finally be with Elliot in that way, she was still a little nervous. She had always been insecure about her body even though she looked absolutely amazing – as Casey and other men told her – but this was _Elliot._ She wanted to look great for him and she just hoped that what she had was good enough for him.

She hoped that _she_ was good enough for him.

She had slipped out of the jeans and shirt combo, slipped off her undergarments, and was simply wearing a sheer pink teddy that stopped around mid thigh, with lace that covered her breasts and cupped them in the sexiest way that would no doubt give Elliot an eye full. She ran her fingers through her hair and gave it that tousled look but left her face free of make up as she knew Elliot loved the bare faced look on her. When she heard his footsteps on the stairs, she quickly pushed the covers back before laying herself down on the bed, propping herself up on one arm as she lay on her side.

The doorknob turned, and the door was pushed open; "I can't wait to sl-"

And just like that, the sentence stopped, and Olivia smirked; Elliot was speechless.

His eyes had gone wide and were roaming over her with a mixture of love and lust in those beautiful blue eyes, which made Olivia feel a lot better. She giggled a bit, eyeing the way he licked his lips while absentmindedly pushing the door closed and locking it as well. She knelt up on her knees as he stepped closer, and as he approached the bed, she placed her hands on his shoulders. He smiled and placed his hands on her waist, leaning his forehead against hers.

"You look so fucking incredible," he whispered, "Are you sure, baby?"

She placed a firm kiss on his lips, nodding; "I'm more than sure; I want this, and I want you – I love you."

"I love you too,"

She smiled and grabbed his shirt, pulling it over his head and tossing it aside. He slipped his arms around her waist, lowering her down onto the bed as he kissed her yet again. She slipped her arms around him, resting one hand on his back and the other on the back of his head while he settled himself between her thighs. He slowly trailed a hand over her thigh, pushing the material of the teddy up as he did so while his lips remained slanted over hers. She let out a gasp when she felt him grip hold of her thigh, and he pulled away to look down at her.

"You okay?" he asked. She nodded, smiling at him as she stroked her hand down his cheek.

"Yeah, it just…it felt nice," she gave him an adorable look; "I trust you, El; it's okay."

He smiled before leaning in to kiss her again. She sighed against his lips, holding him tight as she clung to him. She groaned when he moved his lips to her neck and began suckling the spot that he knew drove her crazy, while his hand slipped in between her thighs. His fingers trailed up and down the wetness, leading her to let out a soft moan as she leaned her head back against the pillow. Things were quiet, and the moonlight was providing a dim glow into the room through the small gap in the curtains; everything was perfect.

She moaned when his lips trailed down, laying soft kisses over the tops of her breasts as his fingers moved faster. His lips sucked and nipped at her skin while he pushed the garment up further, revealing more of her body as he went along. He pulled away briefly to remove the garment completely off of her body, then began slowly kissing down her stomach while her hand grazed against the back of his head. Elliot was making her feel so beautiful and worshipping her body in a way that it had never been worshipped before, causing her to feel like she was on top of the world. This was their first time and she was determined to take it slow. Twenty years of pent up tension and swirling feelings had all led to this moment right here, right now.

She gasped when his lips slowly kissing along her inner thigh. She watched him intently, feeling his lips move closer to where she needed him before he suddenly swooped back up her body and kissed her again. His hands trailed up and down her sides, touching every inch of soft skin that was exposed, causing goosebumps to break out across her skin. He began kissing down her stomach, his tongue darting against the centerline in her stomach as he kept moving lower. Her heart rate was increasing even more as she watched him kiss just below her belly button before he then moved his face between her thighs. He looked up at her as if silently asking for permission, and she nodded her head, stroking her hand over his head. Her eyes then fluttered shut and her head was thrown back into the pillow as she felt his mouth closer over her and felt his tongue licking up and down her wet center.

Elliot was actually tasting her, and it was more glorious than she could have ever imagined.

Her nails were combing lightly through his hair, while her other hand was gripping the comforter of their bed. She gasped when she felt his tongue plunge inside of her and this thumb rub against the bundle of nerves that set her body on fire. She had, had lovers in the past that did this, but none had ever made her feel as good as she felt now. Maybe it was because this was _Elliot_ and she had such an intense amount of love for him, that it heightened her emotions and made everything he did feel ten times better than she'd ever had it. Whatever it was, she loved it and didn't want to ever leave this pleasurable paradise that he had thrown her into.

A soft moan of his name escaped her lips and she was forced let out a small grunt when he plunged two thick fingers into her while his lips began suckling her clit. Her back arched as she held his head in place, while his lips, tongue, and fingers sent pleasure racing through her veins. She was forced to bite her lip when the pleasure became too much at one point; she couldn't scream like she wanted to when all the kids were in their rooms just a few feet away, all fast asleep. When he began moving his fingers faster, urging her along in a quiet voice, she was forced to turn her head and bury it into the pillow. Her muscles were clenching around his fingers and that familiar feeling was stirring in her lower belly; her knuckles were practically white from how hard she was gripping the sheets. All she needed was a little bit more. He twisted his fingers and flicked at her clit with his thumb, and then…

"Fuck… _Elliot._ "

She cursed and uttered his name, her back arching dramatically as she was catapulted to an orgasmic paradise. She felt him slowing his fingers before he finally pulled them out of her, placing one more kiss to her most sensitive skin before he then swooped back up her body. She was breathing heavily, her lips were slightly swollen from when she was biting them, and her body was quivering slightly from the intensity of the orgasm he had just gifted her with. He placed a delicate kiss onto her lips, before kneeling up so that he could remove his jeans and boxers. He then lowered himself over her again and placed a kiss onto her lips, smiling as she draped her arms over his shoulders to rest her hands on his back.

"I want to love you tonight, Liv; is that okay?"

She placed a kiss onto his lips and nodded her head as she whispered; "That's perfect, El."

He slowly pushed his length inside of her, causing her to grunt softly as she gripped onto his muscular back; Elliot was actually inside of her, filling her, stretching her. He refrained from moving as he looked down at her, giving her a moment to adjust to him as she was quite tight. She wriggled her hips once she was okay, then kissed his lips while he began gently moving against her. His large hands were holding her hips while her smaller hands were gripping onto his back, digging into him ever so slightly whilst her lips were pressed against his. He stroked her tongue against his as he continued to move his hips, his length going in and out of her as a nice pace which caused pleasure to race through her veins as she clung to him

He hiked her leg up a bit more around him as he continued to slowly thrust in and out of her. She gasped when she felt his lips moving to her neck and felt his teeth sink into her flesh. She knew he was leaving a mark on her neck, but she simply didn't care. She wanted to be marked as _his_ because that's what she was; she was _his_ now and she always would be. She'd wanted to be his for twenty years and now that it was finally happening, she was fighting like hell to keep it that way. This man had completely taken over her mind, her body, and her soul, and truthfully, she loved him more than anything in the world. It was almost scary how fast and hard she had fallen, scary how she wanted to give herself to him, but she wouldn't change a damn thing.

She moaned softly in his ear when he began to move a little faster and harder, the head of his length brushing against a particularly sensitive spot inside. She let out a soft grunt as he repeatedly thrust against it, and before she knew it, she was having to press her mouth against his shoulder whilst her nails dug into his back. He was softly groaning her name into her ear, his lips darting out to lick the shell of it every now and then as he held her close. He had never felt this good in his life; not with the woman he had been married to for twenty years and had once loved; no one. This was how he knew he belonged with Olivia. She made him feel things he hadn't felt in so long. They were connected in the mind, body, and soul; they fit perfectly together, and he wanted her for the rest of his life.

He lifted up a bit to hold onto her hips, pressing his lips against hers whilst her nails dug into his back yet again, breaking the skin. He could tell by the clenching of her muscles and the way she was gripping onto him that she was getting closer to tipping over the edge. He smirked against her lips before pulling away, resting his forehead against hers and whispering; "Close?"

"Mhm," she hummed softly, nodding her head before whispering, "Please, Elliot…" Her eyes rolled as he hit into her harder as she tried to choke out a response; "Please, baby…with you; I want to cum with you." She had a look in her eyes that only made him fall for her more, and he pressed his forehead against hers as he continued to thrust in and out of her.

"Of course, Liv…" he groaned, hitting harder as her muscles clenched around him; "Fuck baby…fuck." He crashed his lips against hers, drowning out the moan that was threating to escape her lips as he rapidly began thrusting against her.

She pulled away and gasped as the speed increased once again. He was thrusting against that spot inside; the thrusts were sharp and fast. His hands were holding her hips. Her hard nipples were scraping against his hard chest with their movements. The familiar feeling was stirring in her belly once again, only stronger than the previous time. They were about to go that paradise yet again, only this time it felt like it was going to be even more intense than it already was. There were soft grunts and groans and pleas to God that had escaped their lips as it had grown too hard to be completely quiet. They were both caught up in the thralls of passion and were more than ready to tip over the edge; they just needed a little bit more.

"Liv…come on baby; cum with me."

That was all she needed to finally tip over the edge and pull him with her; both of them falling into the most orgasmic paradise possible. Her own orgasm was so strong that she had to bury her face into his shoulder and press her mouth against his skin, while he let out a quiet groan of her name as he had his face buried in her neck. He hit into her some more and cursed as he released into her, before finally stopping his movements. They were both breathing heavily as they clung to each other; her eyes were still fluttered shut though she had removed her mouth from his shoulder. He was gently stroking her hips with his thumbs, his face still buried into her neck. This was the most intense orgasm they'd ever felt; something that would only ever be felt with each other.

They were just perfect together.

They remained together for a few moments before Elliot finally moved so that he slipped out of her. She moaned at the loss of contact, her eyes finally fluttering open and her head turning as she looked at him. He pulled the sheets over them, then pulled her into his arms and held her. She rested her head on his shoulder and hooked her leg over his leg while one of his arms draped over her waist while the other wrapped around her upper back as his fingers twist into her hair. Both of them were breathing heavy and trying to calm down from their first time together, which had been nothing short of perfect, just as they had both expected.

"Mm…" Elliot softly spoke after a few moments as he pressed a kiss to her forehead; "That was amazing, baby."

"Really?" she asked, tilting her head to look at him. He nodded, stroking a finger down her cheek as he gazed at her.

"Perfect, just like I knew it would be," he leaned in and kissed her, still stroking her cheek with his thumb, "I love you so much, baby." He mumbled before kissing her again, and she gripped onto him as she smiled into their kiss.

"I love you too, so much," she replied, looking into those beautiful blue eyes; "Thank you…for being you."

"Thank you for making me into a better man, you've really changed my life, Olivia, more than you'll ever know; you've made my kids so happy, you've made me happy; it was always meant to be you – I know it was."

Olivia blinked back the tears that had formed in her eyes. She could see from that look in those glistening blue eyes that he meant everything he was saying, and she felt everything he was saying. She had known twenty years ago that he was special and while she could've never imagined that they would've ended up like this all those years later, she had known that there was _something._ She and Elliot were two peas in a pod and were always meant to be together somehow, and now that it had happened, they were never letting each other go.

"You guys have made me so fucking happy and given me a life that I never thought I would ever have – I have true love and a family and actual _happiness_ now; all thanks to you guys – and I love you all, so much." Her voice wobbled slightly as she spoke, and Elliot leaned in and kissed her lips, resting his head against hers.

"I got you something," he paused to kiss her again, then pulled back to speak; "Wednesday when you were out with Casey, I got you something; but…before I give it to you…I need to know if you meant it."

"Meant what, honey?" she asked, stroking her finger down his chest.

"That whenever…whenever I asked…you would say yes?"

Her heart beat faster and her eyes sparkled, and the smile came across her face straight away. They hadn't been together officially very long, but they had been _involved_ for twenty years. They knew everything about each other, they loved each other more than anything, she loved _him_ more than anything. She loved his kids and already felt like a mother to them, and she knew that they would accept whatever would happen – considering she'd heard the conversation the other night before.

She was scared, but excited. She wanted this – for the rest of her life.

"I meant every word," she stroked his cheek; "I would say _yes_ whenever you ask."

"Good." He sat up a bit and pulled on his boxers, before flicking on the lamp. He then unlocked the bottom drawer of the bedside table where his gun and badge were and grabbed the small box from the back and slammed the drawer shut, before looking at her;

"Good, because I love you so much," He pulled her into his lap, keeping his arms around her while she held the sheets over herself;

"Olivia, when we met, I knew then that you were special. I was married at the time but even then, I knew how special you were, and I longed to know more about you. I figured that I could never have you the way I wanted or the way you deserved, so I settled for being your friend. We grew closer and became best friends, you were there for my family when I was gone, you've been great to all of my kids since they were babies. When my life fell apart, you encouraged me and took me in, and helped me through it – both times, but especially this last time. Your smile and your laughter and those beautiful eyes and that voice…God baby, it helps me so much and gets me through every single day. When we took this chance, I knew it was forever, but I never wanted to rush you, but it seems that we were thinking the same thing – right?"

"Right." She sniffled, nodding her head as she smiled at him. He chuckled, sniffling a bit as he squeezed her a bit.

"I love you so much, Olivia; I've loved you for as long as I can even remember – as shitty as that is to say, I'll admit it now that I have loved you for a long time, and so…"

He flicked the box open, revealing the diamond ring that was twinkling in the lights. The large princess cut diamond ring was sitting on a platinum band, which was adorned in tiny diamonds.

Her eyes filled with tears as she stared at it, and a smile was already on her face.

"Olivia Benson," he used one hand to turn her head so that she was looking at him, their gazes locked together as he asked the question he had been wanting to ask for so long;

"Will you give me the honor of having you as my wife – and marry me?"

She didn't have to think about it. She didn't need time. She already had the answer, the answer that would've been the same whether he asked today or a year from now. She wanted him forever; she always had, and she always would.

"Yes."

"Yes?" he asked, just to make sure he had heard her properly. She nodded, her tears falling down her face even faster as she wrapped an arm around his neck;

"Yes, Elliot; yes," she leaned her head against his, smiling; "I'll marry you, baby…yes."

"Yes!" Elliot burst out, chuckling along with her. He lifted the ring from the box and slid it onto her left ring finger, before pulling her into a heated kiss. She cupped his cheek and kissed him back, their tears mixing together as they kissed with more love and passion and devotion than ever before.

They were going to be husband and wife.

Elliot was going to have Olivia as his wife.

Olivia was going to have Elliot as her husband.

They were going to be Mr. and Mrs. Stabler.

 _She_ was going to be _Mrs. Stabler._

She hugged him tightly, squeezing her eyes shut as she cried from pure happiness. The new beginning was right here; the door was opening, and things had finally shifted. She had everything she'd ever wanted; the things she truly deserved. The past was behind, and the hurt was let go, and now it was time for the next phase to begin.

And that next phase began with the beautiful, blue eyed man that had been her anchor for twenty years.

Her best friend.

Her rock.

Her protector.

Her _Elliot._

 _ **The End.**_

* * *

 _ **Anddddd this is the final part of this slow moving story ;) BUT never fear, because I have an epilogue to write before it's properly 'finished'. But for now, leave me some feedback and let me know what you guys thought about this part. I can't believe this is just about 'finished'. But anyway...until next time xoxo**_


	31. Chapter 31

**HEY YOU GUYS!**

 **Ughhhhh….we have reached the end of Just Friends. I am so sad this is over but so grateful for every read, every review, every comment sent to me via text or DM; I'm grateful for it all. This story was freaking incredible and I loved every bit of writing it. From the bottom of my very grateful and joyful heart (my new favorite saying via Mariska lol), THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT.**

 **We've jumped forward a year; it's time for the wedding. There didn't seem to be any mistakes when I was editing so I pray to God there's none in here that I've missed lol but anyway, I hope you like this Epilogue, and stay tuned for the cute lil moment at the end.**

 **Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Just Friends**

 **Part 31 - Epilogue**

 _ **One Year Later**_.

12 months; 52 weeks; 365 days; 8,760 hours.

So much planning, and now, they were less than 24 hours away.

The wedding rehearsal had just ended. Olivia had laughed the whole time as her maid of honor, her sweet Casey, refused to take things seriously as she stepped up to rehearse in the role of bride, so Olivia could see whether or not anything needed to be changed. Her long-time friend that she was close with again, Alex Cabot, simply stood with her and laughed as well as their arms were linked. The kids were great in their roles - the girls were bridesmaids, Alex and Casey were both maids of honor, and the girl was little Zara, the daughter of Olivia and Casey's good friend, Nick Amaro. Elliot's party consisted of Munch and Fin being groomsmen, Dickie was his best man, and Eli was a ring bearer.

And Captain Cragen - well, he had been given the honor to walk Olivia down the aisle. He had known her for a long time considering her and Elliot were close, and he was like a father figure to her. He had been delighted that year earlier when Elliot had come into his office and told him that he and Olivia were getting married, and he had actually shed a tear when just a couple months earlier, Olivia had asked him over dinner if he would be okay with walking her down the aisle.

Now, it was finally ready to happen.

"Liv, you okay?"

Olivia looked up at the sight of Casey, whom had just walked up to her. They were standing outside the entrance to the small venue where the wedding was being held; Olivia was leaning against the front railings and looking up at the starry sky. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn't even heard her friend walk up to her. It wasn't as if she was lost in any bad thoughts really; she was just excited that this was finally happening, and to someone that she loved more than she'd ever loved anyone. She just couldn't believe she was so lucky.

"I'm good, Case; I promise," she linked arms with her friend; "Just was thinking…I can't believe this is happening."

"Well believe it, because tomorrow at two, you'll be standing at an altar, moments from being declared _Missus Elliot Stabler_ ," Casey replied, looking up at the starry sky; "Let me tell you a story."

"Oh God." Olivia muttered with a roll of her eyes, a smirk on her lips when Casey smacked her arm.

"Seriously," Casey smirked before continuing, "I remember our first week at Mercy together; we were thrown into chaos right away, but I remember meeting Elliot at the end of that week."

Olivia tilted her head to the side yet listened intently as her friend continued.

"He came to question a nurse who had tended to a victim the squad had, but he brought you lunch and flowers because you'd successfully survived your first week in New York City's busiest emergency room," she chuckled a bit, shrugging; "I remember that look on your face when he gave you the flowers and food, and the look on his when he was saying how proud he was of you, and the look when you introduced us; I thought he was your boyfriend until you told me he was married."

Olivia let out a laugh, nodding her head at the memory; "I remember that; I just thank God that Kathy wasn't around to hear that."

"Same, she would've hated us even more," Casey was giggling as she continued,

"But…you know the whole day after he visited and after you got those flowers, you just had this silly smile on your face. I don't think you realized, but you would just look at the flowers and let out a sigh and smile all adorably, and I knew then that it was something else. I knew that you weren't his _other woman_ because I knew straight away that you guys weren't like that, but I also knew that there was something that went beyond your friendship; whether you two wanted to face it or admit it was beyond me, but I could tell."

Olivia bit her lip, still looking up at the sky as she listened to Casey;

"You two had a bond like no other when I met you, so to watch you only grow closer over these last few years has been something beautiful. You two protect each other, you thrive together, you make each other better. You've brought him through the bad times, he's gotten you through the bad times – especially this latest time – and it's clear to everyone that you two are a match made in Heaven. You belong together, and it's about time you know, about time that you two have happiness outside of the chaotic jobs."

Casey then turned to her friend, her shoulder length hair flowing softly in the spring evening breeze;

"I'm just so happy for you, Olivia; and it's about time you're marrying your prince charming," she wiped the tears that were flowing from Olivia's eyes; "He's been right in front of you all along, and I'm just glad that finally you can have each other; finally you can have the happiness that you've spent forever chasing."

"Casey, aw man," Olivia sniffled a bit, taking a deep breath; "And you know what, I'm just glad that you and even Alex are by my side for this. Me and her have only gotten really close again in the last year and a half maybe, but you…you've been there through _everything_ over these last eight years, and I can't thank you enough, and I'm so glad I get to share this beautiful day with you."

Casey smiled, before pulling her into a tight hug. Olivia closed her eyes and hugged her back, squeezing her tightly as they held each other.

"I love you, Benson."

"I love you too, Novak."

The two let each other go and shared a smile. They had grown up a lot together over these last few years, had seen each other's mistakes and missteps, and now here they were, sharing another beautiful moment together. Casey was going to watch her best friend get married to the love of her life, and _that_ was the most beautiful thing in the world.

A short while later, they had finished setting up for the wedding and were now leaving for the night. They were all staying at a hotel, but Olivia would be with the girls while the guys would be on the floor beneath theirs. As everyone got into their cars, Olivia and Elliot took a moment as she stood outside her own car, taking in each other for a moment. In seventeen hours, they would be meeting at the altar again, holding hands as a priest officiated the ceremony they had been planning for a year.

It was about damn time.

"I love you." He whispered, holding her waist. She draped her arms around his neck, clinging to him as she held him.

"I love you, too," she softly kissed the skin of his neck, scratching his back lightly with her nails; "I'll meet you at the altar at tomorrow at two."

"Promise?" he playfully asked, pulling back a bit so that he could look at her. She giggled, nodding her head as she moved her hands to cup his face.

"I promise." She gave him another gentle kiss on the lips, before finally pulling away to get into her car. Elliot closed the door for her and blew her other kiss, before rushing off to his own Jeep. Olivia let out a sigh to herself as she started her car so that she could head off to the hotel.

Tomorrow was the day.

 _Tomorrow._

* * *

 _Tomorrow_ rolled around fast.

The morning and early afternoon passed quickly and before long, everyone found themselves at the small venue, getting ready for the ceremony. Elliot, Fin, and Munch were in their dress uniforms that were often worn for special events, Eli and Dickie were in their crisp black suits with white shirts and lavender ties with little lavender handkerchiefs in the breast pockets, while the girls were in the lavender bridesmaids' dresses with their silver shoes and their hair done up in trendy curls with lavender flower hair clips.

The only guests consisted of those witnessing the wedding really; the wedding party, Nick and his ex-wife, Maria, whom he had recently began dating again, Amanda – whom had become close with Olivia over the last year, and Elliot's mother Bernie, whom he had recently gotten close to again over the last year. Perhaps the most special guest was Olivia's mother, Serena Benson, whom Olivia had managed to develop a good relationship with since their meeting the previous year. Serena had met the Stablers about four months after she and Olivia had reconnected, and they all hit it off straight away after the initial awkwardness was out of the way. While Serena's condition had deteriorated over the last year and she was now frailer than she had been and relied on a wheel chair to get around, she was determined not to miss this wedding.

"Liv, Casey, Alex – you guys ready?!" Maureen hollered as she finished applying the bit of lip gloss to Zara's lips. Olivia and her two friends were behind the divider wall that was separating her from the others. Casey hollered back that they were finished before Alex followed up with; "Guys…here's the bride!"

With that, they walked around the wall and revealed a breathtakingly beautiful Olivia in her stunning gown. The jaws of the girls dropped, and their eyes went wide as they admired how beautiful she was. The stunning white, strapless sheath style wedding gown hugged her curves perfectly before flaring over her legs in loose waves of white chiffon fabric. There were tiny rhinestones over the corset area of the dress, and rhinestones covered the tiara of which her lace veil was attached to. Her hair was in loose curls that flowed over her shoulders and skimmed the top of her back, and her make up was simple and elegant. Her something borrowed was a pair of diamond hooped earrings from her mother, her blue was the strapless lace bra with matching thong she was wearing underneath – gifts from Casey and Alex and something they'd laughed about at the time as they told her they matched the shade of Elliot's eyes. Her something old was a locket that she had from her late Aunt Marsha whom had taken her in all those years ago, and her something new was a diamond bracelet that had been a gift to her and the girls from Captain Cragen.

"Well guys, do I look okay?" she asked.

"Was that a serious question?" Lizzie walked up to her, holding her arms; "You look so amazing, Olivia; so beautiful."

"You do look super pretty, Livia." Zara chimed in, smiling at her.

"Breathtaking; Dad is gonna pass out," Kathleen linked her arm through hers, "When are you gonna tell-"

"After the ceremony I will, it's his surprise." Olivia cut her off, smiling at her. Kathleen nodded, hugging her again before shouting for whoever had suddenly knocked to come in. The door opened and the friendly face of Captain Cragen popped in. He too was dressed in his own full-dress police uniform that was often worn for special events. His eyes softened when he spotted Olivia and a smile came across his face.

"You look beautiful, Olivia," he stepped forward and held onto her arms, "Thank you for allowing me to be part of this day."

"You've been a huge part of my life for years and I've always thought of you like a father, so I thank _you_ for agreeing to this," Olivia smiled before looking at the others; "Okay guys, let's go get married."

Everyone cheered and grabbed their flowers and such, before walking out together towards the main part of the venue. Their few guests were already seated, and Olivia spotted her mother seated near the front in her wheelchair, looking around with a sweet smile on her face. The sight made her tear up; she had actually reconciled with her mother and now the woman was here, watching her get married. Life had a great way of working out and after years of chaos, Olivia was damn glad that it had finally worked out properly.

She was happy; so deliriously happy.

She spotted Elliot standing at the altar with Dickie and the priest, and soon enough, Munch and Fin joined him while the bridesmaids all began walking down the aisle. Zara and Eli met up and walked together; Eli being extremely careful as he carried the box with the rings while Zara dropped flower pedals along the floor, smiling adorably as she did so. Once the two children reached the front, Elliot placed his hand on Eli's shoulder while Casey held Zara close to her while they waited patiently.

And then it was time.

Olivia linked her arm through the Captain's before slowly beginning the walk down the aisle. She briefly locked gazes with Casey and smiled, before she then looked at Elliot. His blue eyes were shimmering with water, an obvious sign of the tears in his eyes. Olivia swallowed and smiled at him as tears formed in her own eyes. The love radiating throughout this venue was surrounding everyone, but perhaps what was most emotional was be sight of Elliot and Olivia keeping their eyes locked on each other the whole time as she made her way closer to him. All they could see at this moment was each other, and all that mattered was the moment that they'd finally been waiting for.

The ceremony breezed through once Olivia reached the altar. Captain Cragen gave her away and practically threatened Elliot when he told him not to hurt her. The two prayed together and recited the wedding vows that they'd written as they wanted to speak their own vows rather than the traditional ones. Eli happily held up the rings when it was time, and both Elliot and Olivia cried some more as they slid the rings onto each other's hands and said, _"I do"._ There was not a dry eye in the room as the small ceremony was so beautiful, but for most people in the room, they had been waiting for this moment for a very long time and couldn't have been any happier about this.

After about half an hour, the moment they had been waiting for finally arrived;

"I now pronounce you husband and wife; you may kiss your bride."

Elliot smiled and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her close and kissing her passionately as she draped her arms around him. Applause erupted around them and tears were shed by most, while the two remained lost in their own bubble as they broke from their kiss and smiled at each other.

"I love you," she whispered as she held her face in his hands; "I love you so much."

"I love you too," he pulled her into a hug as he whispered to her; _"Missus Stabler."_

The smile on her face couldn't have shown any brighter. The priest smiled at how sweet they were before speaking up again;

"Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you Mister and Missus Elliot Stabler."

* * *

In lieu of a reception party, the group simply took over the banquet room at a nearby Italian restaurant. They had a lovely little get together where they talked and laughed and shared stories. Elliot and Olivia sat next to each other and were extremely loved up and happy, regularly kissing or cuddling while everyone around them was talking. After eating, Elliot and Olivia had danced to _A Thousand Years_ by Christina Perri for their first dance, and of course, there wasn't a dry eye in the room at that time. Serena had stayed for a little while, but the events of the day were too much for her frail form, and so after sharing hugs and kisses with Olivia and Elliot and the Stabler kids that she had grown close to, she was taken back to the living facility where she had round the clock help and care.

As they moved later into the evening - after they all had some tasty wedding cake - the toasts and speeches were given – first by Alex and Casey, whom made everyone laugh as they talked about how much they loved Olivia and when they subtly threatened Elliot to ensure he never hurt their friend – then by Fin, whom had nothing but great things to say since he had known Olivia just as long as he had known Elliot. Nick and Maria gave a small speech as well, as did Munch and Amanda and even Captain Cragen. Once he sat down, the Stabler children all stood up, much to Olivia's surprise as she just wasn't emotionally ready for what ever they were about to say.

"Liv, before we start, we just want to say that you're not allowed to cry; this is for smiles and laughs so don't cry…we just all wanted to say something." Dickie chuckled as he scooped his little brother up onto his hip. Everyone laughed at his funny statement, and Olivia simply rolled her eyes at her stepchildren while smiling anyway. Elliot glanced at her and smiled, stroking her waist as his arm was still around her.

"Liv, I've known you since I was a baby; for as long as I can remember, you've been there for us – always putting aside your own things if one of us were in trouble. I have some pretty awesome memories with you and so many things I can thank you for, but the biggest thing I want to thank you for is for helping me to know my worth and to understand that I am somebody, that I can be whatever I want to be. With you fighting in my corner, I feel even stronger than I did before you came into our lives, and I just thank you for everything you've done for me over all these years – even for taking me to buy a training bra when I was twelve because Mom was working and Dad was too awkward about it," laughs were heard around the room as she continued; "I am so happy that you are now my stepmother, though really, you've always been a second mom to me. Congratulations to you and my dad, and we will kick his ass if he hurts you; I love you, Liv."

"Okay move, it's my turn," Lizzie burst out, practically nudging her sister out of the way as everyone laughed; "Okay…hi Liv! Liv, thank you for always believing in me. I remember when I was little, and I liked to read a lot – I still do – and my beautiful siblings would always make fun of me about it even though I knew they were joking, but anyway, they did but you never made me feel bad about it. You're the only person I know that I can have a long discussion about Harry Potter books with and not be looked at like I'm a nerd. But best of all, Liv, you really have helped me to embrace myself and everything – it's okay that I love books and hate going out to a party, it's okay that I prefer documentaries than normal movies, it's okay that I have to wear glasses because I look like the coolest dweeb ever; you've taught me to love myself and I can't thank you enough. Congratulations to you and Dad; I love you and I'm so glad you're my stepmom now."

Olivia had struggled to fight back the tears as a couple had ended up slipping down her cheeks. She wiped them away and leaned into Elliot, who kissed her head before they turned their attention back towards the front of the room where the kids were. Dickie was holding Eli on his hip as he stepped to the microphone.

"Me and the squirt are gonna do ours together, right kid?" Dickie smiled before looking at Eli, who nodded as he held onto his older brother. He chuckled a bit before turning back to everyone;

"Olivia, first of all, me and the squirt think it's about time you're our stepmom because we love you, and we've always thought of you as a mom. Like Katie said, you've always put your own things aside for us and we can't thank you enough for helping us. Thank you for believing in me though; whenever I've doubted myself – like about baseball or basketball or even that stupid math that I don't think I need – you've always helped me through it and helped me to be the best I can be. Thank you for always being our friend, thank you for the overnight babysitting when you let us stay up past our bed time and have ice cream sundaes, thank you for coming to games and science fairs and parent teacher nights when Dad or Mom couldn't; just thank you for everything. We really are happy to have you as our stepmom now, Liv, and we love you so much. Dad, don't hurt her or you'll have to deal with five angry Stablers – yes that includes Eli and yes we will always take Liv's side." Everyone let out a laugh while Elliot simply dragged his hand down his face, chuckling as Dickie spoke again; "The squirt as something to say too…" he gestured for his three-year-old brother; "Go on squirt."

"Livie you my best friend and I love you a lot lot." Eli shyly spoke into the microphone, only causing Olivia to smile even more as her tears ran over. Dickie laughed and put the little boy onto the ground, allowing him to run around the table and straight into Olivia's arms. She scooped him to sit on her lap and cuddled him close to her, kissing his head while he clung to her.

"And now you all get to hear from the favorite child," Maureen smirked, earning a laugh from everyone while her siblings just rolled their eyes and made faces at her;

"I don't even know where to begin. Olivia, you have been in my life forever. I'm twenty-two now and I was like one when you met my dad, but my earliest memories of you probably come from about the time I was four – I know they go back further though, I've seen the pictures from Independence Day in ninety-eight. Anyway, what I'm saying is, you've been there for us through so much; I can remember you babysitting me while my mom went to the hospital to have Katie, and I remember you holding me for ages, telling me that my mom was okay and that when she came home, I would have a baby sister. I remember you doing the same thing when the twins were born; babysitting me and Katie, telling us that everything would be okay. I can remember the times you've babysat all of us, I remember all the games and school plays and everything you've come to for us when our mom and dad couldn't; you've literally been there through everything. But perhaps my favorite thing is you coming to my high school graduation. I remember that so vividly; you literally came from work – still dressed in your scrubs and everything – and made it just in time to walk in with dad and mom and my sibs, just to see my graduate; something you didn't have to do but you chose to do. You've always been more than a friend to us all, Liv; you are _family;_ a second mother to us when we needed sense talked into us, a friend when we needed to talk about boys and stupid crap, a life coach when we needed a kick up the ass; everything. Thank you for changing all of our lives and making us all so happy, but most importantly, thank you for making our dad so happy for the first time in God knows how long. I think I speak for my siblings too when I say welcome to our family – properly welcome because you're a _Stabler_ now. Dad, they've already said it, but I'll say it too – if you ever make her shed any tear that isn't a happy one, we will kick your ass, even Eli. Seriously guys, congratulations though and Olivia, we all love you so much."

"We love you Olivia!" the others all burst out together before stepping away from the microphone, causing applause to erupt from all around them as they made their way over. Olivia stood up with Eli on her hip, engulfing them all in a huge hug along with Elliot, who had stood up as well to hug all of his family. Olivia kissed them all before sitting back down with Eli on her lap. The other kids went to sit down, while Elliot smirked to himself as he stepped to the microphone. Olivia looked on with wide eyes while the others laughed and cheered as they knew that whatever Elliot was about to say was going to be extremely sappy and something to make Olivia cry.

"Hey guys, I just wanted to say something quickly; I don't want to make _Badass Benson_ cry, but I probably will, and she'll probably kick my ass…whatever," he chuckled as everyone else laughed, even Olivia as she glared at him;

"Seriously, first of all – thanks guys for just sharing this day with us. Thanks to Serena who was here with us earlier. Thank you Mom; I'm glad we're close again so thank you for being here and thank you especially for accepting Olivia. Thanks to my squad; Munch, Fin, Amanda, and Cap; I spend too much time with you guys so you're like my family, and thanks for sharing this day with us. Liv's friends who have become my friends – Nick and Maria, thanks for coming out and being with us on this day, and Alex, it's been great getting to know you, thank you too for sharing this day with us; and Casey…dear God, you're the most annoying human being I've ever met but I love ya just the same, thanks for always being the greatest friend to Liv, and thanks for sharing this day with us too."

They all had to laugh, and Casey simply stuck up her middle finger as she sat beside Olivia, causing everyone to laugh even more before listening as Elliot continued;

"Twenty-one years ago, I was just an eighteen-year-old kid, roped into a grown-up situation and feeling like I had nowhere to turn, no one to talk to. On a rainy March night, I went into the diner just a few blocks from where I work now, and I met this sixteen-year-old girl – brown eyes, short brunette hair in butterfly clips, and a smile that didn't reach her eyes because it was midnight; but she was working, and she greeted me with such warmth. I felt comfortable with her straight away, and she actually sat down and had coffee with me and talked to me like a normal kid, and I felt like I could open up to her, and that's what I did. For two hours, I talked to this girl about any and everything and by the end of it all, I felt so much better. I didn't even ask her what her name was until I was about to leave, and I still remember the way she said it… _Olivia, Olivia Benson._ "

He cleared his throat, then continued;

" _Olivia Benson_ became my best friend; we supported each other through everything. Final exams and Marine boot camp graduation and high school graduation and police academy graduation and nursing school graduation; new jobs, babies, new places to live; everything. She was there for my family when I was away during the Marines, she's always been there for my kids, she even saved the life of my youngest kid; and she…she really helped put my life back together whenever it fell apart. Olivia and I may have really only been together officially for a year, but we've always had this connection and deep down, I always knew. I tried to ignore it, tried to do right by my family, but deep down – from the moment I met her and looked into those beautiful brown eyes – I knew where I was meant to be."

There wasn't a dry eye in the room, and Olivia was in a flood of those tears as she listened to the words from Elliot;

"But now we can focus on the future, and my future is with this wonderful woman. Olivia, baby, I feel like I have a second chance at happiness with you. You make me truly happy, you make my kids happy; you're this wonderful person, this abundance of life that makes everything around you better. Your compassion and dedication to your job and to all of us is something that makes you even more beautiful than you already are. You're one of the funniest people, you're one of the smartest people; you've made me feel alive and happy again and I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me and my family. Baby, I love you…I love you so much and I'm so proud that you're my wife now. I'm forever grateful that I came to that diner twenty-one years ago and sat in that booth and talked to you for hours, forever grateful that I came back inside just to find out what your name was; everything we've gone through has led us to this moment here and now, we can go through things together. I'm never letting you go. Thank you for loving me, thank you for loving the kids, thank you for giving us your heart; thank you for making me the happiest man in the world. I love you, baby; I loved you those years ago, I love you even more now."

With that, everyone began clapping while Olivia stood up, putting Eli down onto the floor so that she could wrap both of her arms around Elliot's neck. He hugged her back and kissed her cheek, whispering the sweetest words of love to her while she quietly cried into his neck, clinging to him. After years of searching for the missing piece of her, she finally had it and now, she just felt so complete. The kids, their father; she was so complete.

A while later, everyone was standing outside the eatery as Elliot and Olivia prepared to head off on their honeymoon, which was going to be week in the Hamptons; something put together by all the children with the help from Casey and Fin. The plan was for Elliot and Olivia to spend their week long honeymoon in the Hamptons, and while they were doing that, the kids were staying in the house throughout the week and Friday, they were all going up to Boston to spend the weekend with Kathy as their relationship had improved. The two hugged and kissed the kids, then hugged their other guests before hopping into Elliot's Jeep. Elliot beeped the horn, before then driving off down the road, smiling over at his bride every now and then. She smiled at him and reached over, placing her hand over his on the gear shift, linking their fingers together as their diamond wedding bands glistened in the light.

A few hours later, the two were tucked into their hotel suite in the luxurious hotel that had been booked for their week-long stay. They had pretty much fallen into bed together as soon as they'd arrived a couple hours earlier and were now curled up in bed together. Olivia had her head on his chest and her hand resting beside her head, while he simply held her and ran his fingers through her hair every now and then. They were both smiling to themselves and taking in the events of the day, allowing it to sink in finally that they were married and starting a life together.

And as Olivia thought about that, she remembered she had something else to tell him.

"Babe, I have a present for you – just something small, well kind of."

Elliot looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, yet a soft smile was on his face; "What more could you give me? You gave me you, and that's more than enough."

Olivia giggled a bit as she pressed a kiss to his lips; "Smooth talker, but I promise you'll like this." She patted his chest before sitting up, quickly pulling on the white silk robe and tying it closed before getting out of bed properly. She went over to where they'd dumped their bags and reached into the side pocket of her own pink one duffel bag, pulling out a small bag before making her way back over to him. He flicked on the lamp on the bedside table before sitting up properly. She sat on her knees beside him with an adorable smile on her face as she handed him the bag.

"What's this?" he curiously asked.

"Just open it, Elliot." She told him, smiling. He shot her a look but rummaged through the bag. There was a small white gift box with a white ribbon around it and he was instantly curious as to what this could be. He unraveled the ribbon and slowly opened the box, before pulling up what he thought was a bit of cardboard to protect what the gift was. However, his eyes widened when he saw that it wasn't cardboard, and there were actual tears that formed in his eyes when he saw what had been under it.

Olivia was watching him with watery eyes and a sweet smile on her face. He stared at the three small ultrasound photos and the positive pregnancy test that had been under it, before he then turned to her, allowing her to see that the tears had finally flowed down his cheeks.

"Baby…are we…having…babe…"

"Mhm," she sniffled, smiling at him the tears finally fell down her cheeks; "In about seven months, you're going to be a daddy again."

She had barely finished the sentence when Elliot threw the contents aside and pulled her into his lap, cradling her straight away. She saw on him with her legs on either side, clinging to him and crying quietly as they held each other. This had been the best gift to receive on his wedding day. The love of his life, his _soulmate_ , was having his baby. In seven months, there would be a new little Stabler, one that was created out of nothing but pure love and happiness and contentment.

They cried as they kissed and fell into bed again, once again falling into a passionate round of love making though this time, it was with more love and passion than ever before. Things had finally fallen into place and now, they both felt like they were actually living instead of simply existing.

Twenty-one years ago, they never knew they would end up like this. They thought they would just be friends, breezing through life, supporting each other yet never crossing the line of where they wanted to be.

Life had a funny way of working out, didn't it?

The universe had other plans. They had never been meant to be 'just friends', they had always been destined to be something more.

Husband and wife.

Mister and Missus Stabler – forever.

 _ **Finished.**_

* * *

 _ **FINISHED FINALLY. Holy crap...this has been such a great story and I loved writing it. Leave your reviews and such. I'm gonna take a couple days but I'll be back; I have a thanksgiving one shot to post for you all. And then after that, I'll probably take a little break before my next fic. ANYWAY, thank you guys for all your love and support. I adore all of you. Until next time...xoxo**_


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